When was the last time you played like this?

The other day I took my kids to a nearby park that was known for kite-flying. Being later in the afternoon, I was pretty exhausted from taking care of the kids all day, feeling like I experienced every human emotion in existence and praying this activity will get their kid crazies out before heading home for bed. 

After breaking up the 58th sibling squabble of the day and detangling kite strings whilst cursing under my breath, I settled next to my kids, set the kites up, and helped release them into the air for take off. 

As the kites flew higher and higher into the sky, I suddenly felt the difficulties of the day lift off my shoulders- and a huge grin spread over my face. 

It was just us and the kites, dancing and swirling high above the ground, looking like colorful canvases against a perfect blue sky. I found myself laughing out loud with my kids, soaking in the core memory we were making, and realizing....

....that I need to do things like this more often.

And I'm not just talking kite-flying. I'm talking "little things". 

I'm talking little activities that seem "boring" but actually help wake up our inner child again. Activities like laying on the grass, playing with mud, walking in the woods pretending to be Pocahontas, or building tiny houses for the little fairies that steal my kids' socks. 

Silly things. Things we grew up hearing were a "waste of time".  Things we were told were stupid or immature. Things that were taken from us through shame.

These "little things" are exercises to see things like kids again - revisiting that part of ourselves that we neglected and learning to fall in love with it all over again. And just like our kites, we can find a way to set our souls free - to dance in the sky in all our glory.

I hope my story brings you a little bit of joy and reminds you that you are loved and worthy of experiencing good things - like the incredible joy of flying a kite.