When I was little I was very busy, as I imagine most girls are. At six I had my toys, my fire station with a real bell, my fire trucks and other cars, my paper dolls, my coloring books and a big box of assorted Crayola crayons, my picture books and stuffed animals. . One of my most important possessions was a “work” toy that was my ceramic pig that served as my personal banker. This pig controlled my destiny to a degree, because when there was enough change inside him, I was able to go to downtown Bridgeport with my mom and guess what? I picked a new toy! Now she was going for seven and saving every penny for a Toni doll. Did you know you could perm her hair? I could not wait!
And then, like a bolt of lightning, I was no longer at seven, but at 10. A different house, a different city, but so many interests and passions! I had my manual sewing machine and would spend hours creating outfits for my dolls. The Toni doll still existed, but it wasn’t important: small fashion dolls were my passion. I figured out a way to make my own paper patterns for her clothes. I liked my patterns because they involved less sewing than store-bought doll patterns. That was good for me, as I was more interested in adding details like lace trim, rather than doing a lot of sewing. The exception to my rule was the wedding dress on my big Vogue doll. I did my best and sewed feverishly, dreaming of a day when…
He was incredibly busy. I had to practice my violin. I had to read my latest Little Lulu comic. I was in the middle of the Nancy Drew mystery book that she had convinced my mom to buy me. Oh, I had to work on my next Girl Scout badge for next Thursday. Yes, so much to do and so little time. I am always at least three days behind in my journal, but I must keep recording my life!
Wash quick! I Love Lucy is on. Everything stops for I Love Lucy!
Can you feel the energy, passion and determination of the boy? It may surprise you to realize that within each of us, the child, with his energy, his passions, his potential for greatness, lives on. It may take a trip back in time to find what really turned us on. It may take a bit of creative reinvention to figure out how we can use the wonder of our younger selves in a way that works now. Let me now share with you how I further explored the positive energies of childhood and recovery with a colleague.
I was talking to Nancy Fredericks. She is a corporate consultant and co-author of a wonderful and empowering book for women, titled DANCING ON THE GLASS CEILING. As we shared our passion for encouraging women to find their strengths and potential (what I call The Song of Your Soul), she shared with me how often she discovers that the secret to this personal essence lies in our past.
She remembered herself as a child making potholders. She loved to make them, but after a while she had too many potholders. She gave some away and she still made them. Then she started to think that there had to be a reason for all these potholders! She started selling them to the neighbors. They sold! She did more. She came up with the idea of enrolling her friends in potholder making. It worked. Suddenly, she had a big booming business.
Here she was: a third-grader with “the first pot-holder mass production line in her neighborhood.” She started making a profit.
In her book, Nancy goes on to say that by remembering this aspect of her childhood, she came in touch with a clue to her Heart’s Purpose: “a love of business and a talent for managing people and getting results.”
Nancy’s son has it so clear. A budding business entrepreneur! I will have to play with my son and get some of the energy that he still asks to be treasured in this part of my life. It’s okay. I’m in no rush, and part of recapturing our former passions, now living a life that Nancy labels “Fully Passionate, Fully Alive” takes time and care.
Why don’t you ‘play’ with your child for a while too? Pick an age or a couple of ages and get to know that priceless human being again. I suggest you keep a list of all the talents, strengths, and potential you find when you revisit your younger self.