Remember when we were small children? The world was full of magic and joy. Then one day we discover that we’re “all grown up” and things changed. Now it can be challenging to just get through the entire day. Life often makes strenuous demands of each of us.  We can become so wrapped up in dealing with life that we lose our peace and happiness.

During our 365 days each year, we can feel drained of our life force. We can be left wondering: Where is my magic? Where is my joy?  Sometimes we don’t even stop to consider where it is or contemplate if it will ever come back.

I thought about my own life and how busy I can become. It can be very easy to miss the magic of the day as I quickly move from task to task. Sometimes my life can become responsive to life’s demands rather than reflective of what gifts and blessings I have.

I sat for a few minutes this past month and thought about being a child again. 

I watched some children playing and wondered: How does a child simply see things we cannot see or knows about magic when adults do not?

Children love with a heart that is pure. They are full of compassion.  A child sees the world as magical place full of infinite possibilities. A child concerns themselves with the happiness of all living beings.   When we watch children playing, we can witness the beautiful nature of living source through them. 

When we were children, we began our lives fully connected to the unconditional loving source of our true selves.  Perhaps we played with imaginary friends.  We accepted all types of people.  We used our intuition or deeper senses.   Over time this connection diminishes due to a variety of things that can happen in our lives. 

It seems rare to carry these powerful qualities into our adult life. We often lose our magical sense of life. We close off our hearts due to hurtful experiences.  We may learn not to trust our own intuition through self-judgment.  All of these things diminish our life magic and the compassion we have for ourselves or others.

I decided at that moment that I wanted to regain my inner child. I wanted to cultivate magic in my heart and soul. I decided to take one day for practice.  I sat in the morning in meditation. I tried to remember what it was like when the world was a new place for me. I allowed myself to feel like a child inside.

I left the house later that morning. I looked at my surroundings with wonder. I saw every tree, rock and plant as if it were the very first time. I took deeper breaths than I had in years.  I played more.  I felt lighter and happier that day than I had felt in many years.

We should find more time to cultivate the childlike qualities that lay hidden in each of us. Each day we make choices that create the events of our day. If we embrace life, life can embrace us. If we resent life, life will resent us.  Happiness and joy can be created by returning to the child inside.  Life can be a magical place again if we believe it and try to feel it inside us.

Try taking a day to let the child inside you play. Experience a greater magic in your everyday life.  Allow yourself to breathe more deeply.  Embrace life so that it can embrace you.