I am old. I mean ancient. I'm past the point of "You're so much taller!" or "My, how you've grown." Gone are the days of "You're going to look just like your father when you grow up," and "Aren't you just so excited for [insert life event here]?" Now are the days of "When do you graduate?" and "When are you getting married?" I'm as old as dirt, the mountains, and the oldest trees in the forrest, or at least that's how I feel. I turned the big two-one earlier this month, and now I feel like I have to grow up...or something horrible like that. Did you know it's statistically proven that you start dying at 21? It's true! And it's not just because that's the legal age to drink, gamble, and do everything else possible to endanger your life. Think about it for a second: from the time you're born until the time you hit 21, you learn an entire language, you begin school, you go through numerous growth spurts, you experience that lovely eternity known as puberty, you start dating, you make choices that will affect the rest of your life; in essence, you grow. Once you hit 21, it all stops. The only things left growing are various appendages (you know...old men's ears are the size of an elephant's, and they have more hair in them) and your gut (for almost everyone).
Twenty-one is the last major "milestone" birthday for at least nine years, and that's only if you count thirty as a milestone...forty (or fifty...depending on who you talk to) is the "over the hill" age, at fifty five you officially become a senior citizens and can therefore spend less money while eating out at 4:00 pm, and at 62, you're even more official. Twenty-one is basically it. You're a legal adult. You're responsible...or at least you're supposed to be.
I am ancient. Period. Well...I may not be as ancient as some, but I'm still picking old! So I've made a decision: I'm going to let my inner child come out and experience life! For my twenty-first birthday, my friends looked at me extremely inquisitively when I announced to them that my birthday party would be held at Chuck E. Cheese's. "No, really...where is it?" was what I got most often. Let me just say...it was a total blast! Since I don't drink, gamble, do drugs, etc., Chuck E. Cheese's seemed like the perfect place to go, and when my friends finally loosened up and started putting their tokens in the Ski-ball machines, they began to agree.
Exercising your inner child is one of the most important things you can do in your life. I've decided that while I'm still single, I'm going to experience life as God intended it...beautiful and spontaneous. Second Nephi says, "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." Have joy in your life! Experience everything it has to offer! Go to Chuck E. Cheese without children one day, and bask in the glares that seem to scream "CHILD MOLESTER!!! GO HOME!" Travel the world! Drive down to In-N-Out Burger in St. George just because you can! Breathe in the air of different cities as often as you can! I'd like to propose a little academic theory: "Men need to breathe air from different areas of the planet to stay alive." Seriously! Sometimes you just have to get out and do something different.
As you experience new things, the child inside you is awakened and you will live a happier, more productive life. Exposure to the unknown is what children thrive in, and it's because it stimulates your brain, makes you want to learn, and makes you grow! If any of you have seen the recent movie Yes Man, you'll realize how much his life changed by simply making the decision to say "Yes" to opportunities that present themselves. Do it! You don't have to say yes to things that are morally compromising, that might endanger yours and others lives, that are against your religious beliefs, or that you just plain don't want to do, but do say yes. It makes a world of difference in the everyday, mundane life. Try it. Seriously. No...don't listen to that voice that's telling you it's a bunch of crock. Do it. It's helped me a ton!
