The Child Inside
There is a child inside of you.
The child inside of me had a silly hobby in which I would take a block of wood and use a chisel to imprint little words on the block with a hammer.
And then when I discovered the electric guitar around the age of 12, I asked my dad to take me to the music store every weekend so I could rent a new effects pedal. I still go back to that exact location every weekend to rent different things to try out.
When I get upset with people who have mistreated me, I try to remember that there is a child inside of them too. That child is often the cause of their misguided, unconscious habits. If I’ve seen pictures of them as a child, I try to call those images up and treat them with compassion even if this is happening only inside my head.
The child inside can be a source of confusion. Because on one hand we need to tap into this child to access our creativity, like me tinkering with wood blocks or my guitar pedals.
But we also need to let go of that child sometimes when ascending to the next level in our consciousness.
In order to grow, we need to let go of everything that is familiar to us, and we need to get out of the fetal position so we can stand tall.
I don’t have the answers to this conundrum, but I welcome your thoughts on the idea of the inner child, creativity and personal growth.
Part of the inner child work that I've done involves validating them at their different ages and recognizing their pure intentions and pulling from their strength. Me at 8 years old can be bolder and more resilient than me at 39. I had one powerful healing sessions where I witnessed a child aspect of me aging before my eyes as I sat there and listened to her. Each time I blinked or look away and then looked at her, she would mature. I sense what was happening was a gradual recovery of soul loss I might have been missing since that age. I think my inner children are evergreen and want to be present with me as I go about my day as much as possible.