Hi there,
I had a thought today. You know how kids get super excited over the smallest things? Like finding a cool rock, seeing a butterfly, or just getting a sticker at the grocery store? It doesn’t even have to be anything big. A puddle on the ground? Best day ever. A bubble floating in the air? Pure magic. Today, my son spent almost one hour running through a bunch of dry leaves, laughing the entire time as he kicked leaves up from the ground.
As I was watching him, I started wondering… what if I let myself feel that kind of joy today? Just for something small? What if I didn’t hold back, didn’t play it cool, didn’t act like an adult who’s seen it all before?
I think somewhere along the way we learn to tone things down. We are actually thought not to overreact from very young. When we’re kids, we jump up and down when we see our favorite snack. We squeal when we see a dog. We run at full speed when we see a friend. But now? Now I just nod and say Oh, nice. Maybe I’ll smile a little. Maybe.
But what if, just for today, I didn’t do that? What if I let myself feel that big excitement again?
I wasn’t sure if I could trick my brain in such a way, but I decided to try it. I picked something small – watching the next episode of Daredevil, which I had been looking forward to all day while I was out with my son. Normally, I would just relax and watch, maybe smirk a bit here and there, and move on. But this time I let myself feel it. I smiled big. I got excited during the fight scenes and even complemented the choreography out loud. And you know what? It made the episode even better.
I started looking for more tiny things to get excited about. A good song coming on while I’m driving? I turned the volume up and let myself enjoy it instead of just letting it play in the background. A funny thing I saw? I snapped a picture and sent it to a friend instead of just thinking LOL. A nice sunset? I actually went outside, took a deep breath, and let myself soak it in for a few minutes instead of just giving it a glance through the window.
I didn’t expect much to happen, but the entire day actually felt brighter. It wasn’t that anything big had changed, just my perspective on it. I was letting myself enjoy things fully instead of just going through the motions of another day.
It made me realize how often I let good moments slip by without really feeling them. How often I act like things are just okay when they’re actually kind of amazing. How often I stop myself from feeling the full joy of a moment because it’s just not what adults do?
To be completely honest, it’s sort of sad when you think about it.
And I realized something. I don’t want to be the kind of person who just nods at the good stuff. I don’t want to hold back my excitement because I’m afraid of looking silly. I don’t want to be so used to life that I forget how incredible the little things can be.
So, I’m making a deal with myself. I’m going to get excited more often. Maybe not all the time, maybe not over everything… but let’s say, at least once a day. At least once, I’m going to let myself feel joy like my 2-year old son does. I’m going to celebrate the little things. I’m going to let myself be fully in the moment.
And I think you should try it too.
Seriously, at least once today try to let yourself be as excited as a little kid about something small. Maybe it’s a snack. Maybe it’s a text from a friend. Maybe it’s a song you love. Whatever it is, don’t just let it pass by. Feel it. Enjoy it. Get excited about it.
And if someone looks at you funny? Who cares? They probably wish they could feel that happy too (can you smell the copium?).
Let me know if you try it. I bet it’ll make your day a whole lot better.
Thanks for reading and sharing the newsletter with your friends. It helps me reach more people who might find value in what I have to share.
Till next week,
Dobri 🍃