Just realize where you come from:
This is the essence of wisdom.
—Tao Te Ching - Verse 14
I was hanging out with some children yesterday. (Well, it wasn’t just me and some children; that’d be weird. It was a Thanksgiving gathering, mind you.) The point is, I couldn’t help but notice the level of joy that exists in kids around the age of five. Pure giggling, non-stop, over the most insignificant things. I can’t remember the last time I experienced that much joy over seemingly nothing. I can’t even recall the last time I experienced that much joy over something, regardless of the amount of sugar I’ve consumed.
At what age does that stop, I wonder? When does life squeeze it out of us with trauma, bills, and responsibilities? Is it psychological, where life experience puts things in perspective? Or is it chemical, where aging doesn’t trigger the same dopamine release in our brains? Are the years we barely remember really the most joy-filled years of our lives?
It seems sad, but then again, life might be strange if spinning around the floor and screaming in ecstasy over games of tag tickled us the same way as adults as it did when we were children. Not to mention the tears that come moments later when repeating chants of “I want a lollipop!” yield no reward.
Perhaps we just have to cherish whatever little sparks of joy come our way as we grow older. Excuse me while I gorge myself on leftovers and watch World Cup goals being scored.