Oh to be free of consciousness of self <3

Caroline has entered the toothless bliss that is being six and she and her like-gap-toothed friends are embracing it for all it’s worth. 

If you line them up for a photo, they seem to jut those faces out an extra inch or two and the smiles are a mile wide. 

They are not self-conscious in the least that they have more gum than enamel to fill in the grins. 

After the photo, they tumble away with crazy leg running and cartwheels where they may or may not land on their feet. But it’s all good and giggles abound. 

And I wonder where along the way we lose this.

Probably some comment from someone cuts into our happiness one day. A laugh that we weren’t going for makes us feel like we are odd. A criticism we hadn’t anticipated and don’t know how to deal with leaves us questioning who we are. 

So I watch her now with a smile and a lump that forms unbidden in my throat and a prayer for God to hold her tight and teach her how to keep her joy. 

And I pray for us, who are all grown up and wise, to feel that carefree again.

Maybe we could all just do one childlike thing today.

Grin big for a photo, run awkwardly and if you can’t pull off a cartwheel, do a fake one where you put your hands up and lean forward and then just stay upright as you make a little spin through the room. 

You are precious and you are deeply loved <3