I think there’s something so beautiful and pure in children and dogs. I’m thinking about the way they run unabashedly into the world, following their intuition and expanding their map of what’s in the realm of possibility with each step they take.

I mean, come on, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a bunch of them (children, or dogs) running around freely in the park while you’re hunched over on a bench stressing over some dumb assignment and haven’t thought to yourself, “Wow, I Want To Be You”.

When you’re a kid, your dreams are larger than life, and the most out of this world they might be for your entire life. (When did I go from dreaming about fantastic beasts and unexplored universes to having nightmares about Scotiabank’s call hold music?) 

But at some point, we stop exploring. We learn that the map has borders, there’s a box we have to stay in. We think that the map has already been drawn out clearer, better, by other explorers, so we give up the adventure and follow theirs. Here, I want to hand back your pen and paper. If your life is a notebook, write the hell out of it, and throw in some fun plot twists, will you?

Adults are just larger children that dream smaller dreams. I mean, think about it — Karens are not that much different from toddlers. Massively oversimplifying here, but geopolitics is just the aftershock of hundreds of years of politicians jostling over their play map, throwing around massive missile figurines, or rearranging their plastic toy army figures, right? 

When I worry about losing my youth, yes, I worry about what it’ll be like to be a new-grad and figure my 20s out, but I also worry about my youthfulness slipping through my fingers like sand.

I want to remain unabashedly curious, to kintsugi that chip on my shoulder with a bit of gold. Somedays, I feel cynicism creeping in like a cold chill underneath my door.

I don’t want to become jaded. I don’t want to allow time to come in and freeze over my soul. If my life is a notebook I can write in, then let the pages be dog-eared and well-loved.