Living Like A Toddler

New seasons are not only a time of exciting exploration, but a time of grasping for new footing around unfamiliar turf. We all know that toddlers move from infancy to master rolling over; pulling oneself up; and standing; yet still strive toward the greater advancement of walking; running; and ultimately leaping over new heights.

As adults what makes one person willing to engage the risks of life, while another runs from it? I believe the willingness to face risks is coupled with a toddler-like sense of adventure.

Many of us avoid risks because we have no lexicon for situations, or surroundings that are unfamiliar to us. However, expanding into new territory and adventure is laden with discomfort and risks. Quite simply we would never step outside our own back yard if there was not the exponential value of new possibilities awaiting us. New discoveries and risk coexist.

I remember the angst my daughter experienced eating lunch alone for weeks in her new school cafeteria. She had no lexicon to process the transition from the old into the new, which included the awkward experience of having a boy and his posse hit on her during her first eighth grade lunch period. In toddler like fashion she grew and discovered new things about herself and her ability to take risks and adjust to new environments and situations.

My world is currently full of new toddler challenges, and although there may be days that I choose to stay in the shallow end of the crib, one thing is certain, if I want to walk, run and ultimately leap in my new environment, I will be forced to pull up like a toddler and collide with risk.