A Return to Your Inner Child

What if your most realest self were you at 5?

Life was so carefree and boundless then.
We ran across the paddy fields, leapt over fences, plunged our feet in soil, played in the rain, floated paper boats in rivulets, hugged our parents, cried shamelessly, cycled till the sun went down, and did a multitude of things.

We never cared for looks when Milk Bikis got smeared all over our faces as we ate. We were busy laughing at each other at how the cookie sank into the milk glass and never resurfaced. We seldom cared about the world. We’re busy doing things and having fun.

A major portion of my summer vacations was spent on the travels to my cousins. A big chunk of the other with get-togethers at my ancestral place. A great deal of fun! We’d climb trees and hop fences (oh, I still carry a memory souvenir of two stitches from that). The fear of falling wasn’t as strong as the worry of parents scolding us.

And those nights when we believed the moon followed us home back from places— that never gets old! Never.

from my early summer vacations and those train journeys!

“Create like a kid. Don't overthink it. Just make what excites you.” - Donald Glover

We painted outside the boxes, never felt guilty about it! We wrote sloppy cursive with pride. Danced like no one’s watching, waved huge helloo to the flights above, drew on walls pretending to be Picasso, and gave no fucks! An era of chaotic experiments, full of life. We were genuinely happy inside out. Creative, energetic, joyful versions of self, intact by the strain of limits or a need for approval.

Every day was a fresh start. Excuses to skip homework, which movie to watch, who’d hold the TV remote, which cartoon to fight over, and who’d win the next round of the WWE card game? We lived with joy, were busy just being. Mistakes were lessons; a necessary part of the game. Limitations weren’t a thing as no one taught us to be sceptical yet.

Today, it’s a distant dream. Perhaps the world demanded more from us as we grew.

Maybe it started with the first, and silly "no." “You’ve grown. Don’t wear that.” “What will people think?” “Act your age.” “Sit like a lady.” The thing I’ve heard the most would prolly be “Why do you laugh this much?” (I’d bet on it!). I laugh loud, weird, and a lot more, over the silliest things. It comes easy, like an old friend showing up uninvited. If you know me, or have hung out with me, odds are, you have a story of me laughing at the best (or maybe any) worst possible moment!!

The first time someone put a limit on our dreams, or we were taught that our wild ideas needed to be more practical. “Arts should be a hobby.”, “You’re too old to be figuring this out.” “You’re always doing something different.” “For God’s sake, stick to one path.” “Stop hopping careers like this.” As a child, I dreamt of becoming a storyteller of words. It started with scribbling daily diaries before sleep and continued over time. Writing felt natural. Something closely aligned inside me, waiting to take form. “Writing is soo yesterday. Switch to influencing,” they urged me. What felt right was different. I just wanted to spill tiny, teeny stories on the internet, pour my heart out in words. All I sought was to give my 5-year-old dream a try and release it if it didn’t fit. It felt like a calling I’ve had all along. A buried deep knowing. Now it feels I’ve come full circle, back to my inner child who believed in stories before the world told me otherwise.

This should be the oath! (a Pinterest image)

Today, we get caught up in life’s noise and lose sight of our goals.
We obsess over the small stuff and ignore the big picture.
Do we ever stop and ask: Is this really what I want?
Or just what I’ve been told I should want?

We pause and alter our dreams to fit someone else’s version of “success.”
A passive reply would make us go bonkers, yet we carry the silence of being unseen for years like it’s nothing. We ought to unlearn those, don’t we?

We stay stuck in jobs that drain us, thinking it’s too late to start over. “You can always pivot careers unless you’re bedridden,” what Jill said, still lingers! A kinda wake-up call. Maybe those messy, loopy detours are throwing you a curve worth taking. You never know unless you take a chance. Maybe it wasn’t meant for you, but you gave it a shot. You tried, you learn, you grow, and that’s never a waste.

We’ve gotta let our inner child run the show sometimes. Life isn’t a competition.
Return to the stuff that once felt like magic. Dance off-beat, and stay curious.
Get messy, silly, and crack shitty jokes. Learn to swear at your friends in different languages. (Fun AF, trust me!) Try weird stuff with goofy people. Imagine the things you’ve been told are too risky, too silly, too out there. Then try doing them anyway. Create things without a reason. Smile at strangers and hop with joy. Wear your heart on your sleeves, and also mismatched socks (i do it cuz I’m too lazy to find my sock pair). Share more music. Execute dumb ideas. Be your weirdest, truest self. A niche in itself. Make sure you participate in life more than you perform.

And return to your weird, joyful self, even when the world feels chaotic.
No, you haven’t lost it—it’s just waiting for you to go home.
May you always safe land back home to who you truly are!
A 5-year-old self in its full glory!

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You’ve made it here! <3
If this sparked any childhood memories or life reflections, I’m all ears! 💌

♻️ If you resonate with this, restack it with your people who’d love it! <3

You can always buy me a coffee or send your mom a card! 💌 Much love and hugs!!
p.s. my stories always remain free for you, regardless.