A Path Once Lost Now Remembered

11.22.16

We begin with a single breath, and the day that that breath is extinguished is the moment we finally realize that all the things we’ve done in life had meant something. A child doesn’t know it, nor does it truly know anything yet, but the world is waiting for his (or her) eyes to open for the very first time, and close for the last time years from then. Everything in between is so that the next child who opens his (or her) eyes will walk in a world that has been molded and shaped in a way that the child will look at it, take a deep breath, and smile.

A child is a thing of beauty that is born into a tarnished world that has lost its color. So carefree and looking at the world as though it were one’s own playpen. A magnificent creature in a world of endless calamity, not realizing this until he (or she) becomes an adult. Until then, though, the child goes through its life smiling at every single thing in sight. And when he (or she) doesn’t get his (or her) way, the parents are to blame. Though, it doesn’t take much to distract the child from its previous distress. I think that’s what makes them so fascinating. If only we were all like that, but that’s besides the point.

To be born in this world is a gift, no matter how many good days or bad days we experience throughout our lives. The ups and the downs and the all around are what make this life so endearing, so unique. And the child may not know it, but the world IS his (or her) own playground. And the parents may not know it either, although they were once children born into this world the same way their own child was. A cycle that will continue on for as long as we can breathe.

Consider the world as a canvas, and children as artists. Beautifully painting and drawing and writing works of art that will remain in the hearts of others forever. Take in mind to listen to a child, as well. Listen to how happy his (or her) voice sounds. It resonates a melody that wakes up the world around it. It brings joy and peace and washes all the troubles of the world away.

Though, I will say, as we grow older, we tend to forget all this. We forget, but have not lost, our ability to breathe as we had once done the very first moment when we opened our eyes and saw a strange place that we would one day call home. We hadn’t a choice in the matter, but were blessed with this life, and so were all other things. And we may not see it, but everything here is gleaming with life.

If you truly look at the world with a child’s mindset, you will see all the wonders that were once seen when WE were children. Yes, we, too, were once the same as the children we’ve brought into this world. And the difference is that we no longer have that child-like mentality that makes the world seem so vibrant and alive. I suppose that the longer we are alive, the less we actually live. No more imaginary friends, no more creative thoughts that allow the mind to flourish. No more genuine happiness that we once had as a child. We’ve lost our way, yes, but on the road through life, there is always a path that leads one back onto the path they once traveled. The only problem is that we’ve passed this path countless times, and we will continue to pass it while we forget where the path once led.

Some of us, though, have found our way back onto the path that was once lost. With the knowledge, wisdom, and maturity of an adult, and with the eyes and artistic spirit of a child, all things that were once thought impossible become entirely possible. All it takes is a deep breath of the fresh air that was once taken in the moment that you were born. A path once lost shall then become a path now remembered. And THAT is the cycle that we should live by, because by seeing both sides of the same coin we are able to make a definitive choice: continue down the same path, or find the path once lost? The choice is ours because we ARE human, just as we were once children.