Do you remember what it felt like swing at the playground. Close your eyes and imagine yourself pumping your legs out and in, and out and in. Feel the breeze on your skin and the tingling sensation in your belly as you start going a little higher… You know the one that you feel like you’ve turned upside down and you’re not in control, and the only thing different, you went a little faster, perhaps caught a little air, and your perspective changed.

As we grow older our perspectives change. Life happens. We go through different experiences and we often get stuck in our ways. Change scares us. Playing like a kid scares us. Worries and stress consume us, and we think fun was a thing of the past.

As I sat on the swing set in my parents backyard tonight, I let myself feel the breeze. I allowed my gaze to get lost in the clouds, and then there it was… my dad waving like a little kid from his bedroom window. It made me laugh. It made me realize that the kid inside was alive inside of me. That I was not afraid to love each day and experience as it were my last.

As I was swinging, a tear slipped from my eye. It was gratitude, Gratitude for living in the moment. I have learned too well that each day is a gift filled with moments of splendid treasures. Maybe that treasure is a simple email, 5 minutes alone, a message from a loved one, or watching the sun nestle behind the horizon for a nights rest. There are many simple treasures that are too easily ignored.

Life can go by fast. It can be tough to find the time to laugh, to love, or play. The only thing we will have in the end is the memories we have created for ourselves and with others.

Just as we swing and pump back and forth, we start letting go. And then we get the unsure tingle, making us want to stop. We become afraid to feel because it does not feel like it is the responsible thing to do.

What if we pushed through the uneasy feeling and kept going. Pushing ourselves just a little bit more, finding an edge we have never felt, or have hidden inside.

We all have the capabilities, and yet we allow fear to hold us back. Maybe we just don’t believe in ourselves enough, or we’ve simply just become sticks in the mud. So what do we do? Do what I did. Swing. Remember what it felt like to be carefree. And remember what it felt like when you counted down…. 3….2….1…. And jumped.

Sure, my landing wasn’t perfect, yet it propelled me forward. No landing is perfect. No path is perfect. No plan is for sure. If we don’t take a chance, we will never know. If we don’t stop and remember, we forget.

I challenge you to get on a swing. And if you feel up for it… jump. Give yourself a new perspective. Think about something you’ve forgotten, or something you’ve wanted. Laugh. Play. Dream. And most of all, thank yourself. Give gratitude for this day. For the feelings, the emotions, the twists and turns. All of those are yours. Yours to keep, to remember, to let go. All of it brought you right here.

So the only thing left to do now is say thank you and swing, because you never know what will come to you when you push past that tingly, unsure stomach feeling, It just may change the way you see things.