APPARENTLY, WE'RE STILL EIGHT

Evidence that adulthood may have been somewhat overstated.

DELIGHT No. 21

There comes a time in every person's life when we are expected to become an adult.

We learn responsibility.

We pay bills.

We make appointments.

We know things like where the water shutoff is.

Some of us have even purchased insurance voluntarily.

Clearly, childhood is behind us.

And then—

we encounter a particularly good curb.

And apparently...

we're still eight.

😂

The Curb

You could walk on the sidewalk.

It is wide.

Level.

Specifically designed for walking.

But beside it is a curb.

Narrow.

Slightly raised.

Essentially a balance beam installed by the municipality.

Your foot goes up.

Then the other.

Arms may extend slightly.

You walk the curb.

Why?

There is absolutely no reason.

And yet stepping off before the curb ends feels suspiciously like quitting.

🤣

The Pebble

You're walking.

There's a pebble ahead.

You kick it.

It travels six feet.

Now it is ahead of you again.

Interesting.

You kick it again.

At no point did you decide:

I will now escort this rock to its destination.

Nevertheless, you and the pebble have entered into an agreement.

Then—

disaster.

You kick too hard.

The pebble disappears into the grass.

You look toward where it went.

There are other pebbles.

No.

Not the same.

Journey over.

You continue walking...

changed.

😂

Automatic Doors

You approach the grocery store.

The doors slide open.

Technology.

Motion sensors.

Engineering.

Perfectly understandable.

Which does not explain why some of us occasionally raise one hand slightly as we approach.

You know.

The Force.

The doors open.

Naturally.

You lower your hand.

Nobody noticed.

You have used your powers responsibly.

🤣

The Floor Is Lava

This one can reappear without warning.

You drop something beside the bed.

You could simply walk around and retrieve it.

Instead, for reasons unknown, you lean impossibly far over the mattress while keeping both feet safely off the floor.

Why?

Apparently the carpet has become dangerous.

There has been no announcement.

No evacuation order.

Nevertheless—

lava.

The Shopping Cart

You are leaving the store.

There is a slight downhill grade.

You place one foot on the lower bar of the cart.

Push once with the other.

And glide.

Just a little.

Perhaps three feet.

Enough.

Then you immediately resume walking like a responsible adult.

Nothing happened here.

😂

The Raindrop Race

You're sitting beside a window while it's raining.

Two drops begin sliding down the glass.

You notice them.

One is slightly ahead.

Then the other catches up.

Suddenly—

you have chosen one.

Come on.

It merges with another drop.

Excellent move.

The competitor gets stuck.

YES.

Your raindrop reaches the bottom first.

You feel satisfaction.

You did absolutely nothing.

🤣

This may be the purest sport ever invented.

The Good Stick

Children understand that sticks are not simply sticks.

Some are ordinary.

Some are swords.

Walking staffs.

Magic wands.

Fishing poles.

Dragon-taming equipment.

Then, occasionally, an adult walking through the woods sees one.

Straight.

Smooth.

Perfect length.

You pick it up.

You test the weight.

Oh.

That's a good stick.

You may carry it for the remainder of the walk.

No explanation required.

The eight-year-old has spoken.

Puddle Mathematics

There is a puddle ahead.

You have several choices.

Walk around it.

Step carefully through it.

Or—

calculate whether you can jump over the entire thing.

You assess distance.

Footing.

Trajectory.

You are wearing perfectly respectable adult clothing.

This information does not prevent the calculation.

Sometimes you jump.

Sometimes wisdom prevails.

Sometimes wisdom prevails...

and you're slightly disappointed.

😂

The Empty Hallway

Long hallway.

Smooth floor.

Socks.

Do I really need to continue?

There are adults who walk through this situation normally.

We wish them well.

🤣

The Echo

You enter a tunnel.

Parking garage.

Large empty room.

Cave.

Somebody makes a sound.

Hellooooo!

Echo.

There it is.

Human beings have understood echoes for thousands of years.

We remain delighted.

Someone else tries.

Then another.

Within thirty seconds, responsible adults are making increasingly ridiculous noises into architecture.

Science has explained the phenomenon.

Science has not diminished it.

Bubble Wrap

You receive a package.

Inside:

bubble wrap.

You are sixty-one years old.

You have responsibilities.

Perhaps people depend upon you.

You pick up the bubble wrap.

Pop.

Just one.

Pop.

Fine.

One more.

Pop pop pop pop pop.

Adulthood temporarily unavailable.

Please leave a message.

😂

The Swing

This one is different.

You pass an empty playground.

There are swings.

For half a second, you think about it.

Maybe you keep walking.

Maybe you don't.

But if you sit down...

push backward...

lift your feet...

and begin to swing—

something extraordinary happens.

Your body remembers before your mind does.

Forward.

Back.

Higher.

Air against your face.

For a few minutes, there is no age attached to you at all.

Not eight.

Not thirty.

Not sixty.

Just—

alive.

And perhaps that's why these little things never entirely leave us.

Maybe We Didn't Outgrow Delight

Maybe we simply became more self-conscious about being caught enjoying it.

Children don't need to justify balancing on a curb.

They don't require a productivity benefit from puddle jumping.

Nobody has to explain the economic value of a good stick.

They encounter something that invites play...

and answer.

Adults encounter the same invitation and sometimes hear another voice:

Don't be silly.

What a strange thing to tell ourselves.

We are allowed to be silly.

We are allowed to play.

We are allowed to experience something for no reason beyond:

that looked fun.

Official Departmental Finding

After extensive research, The Haven Department of Questionable Maturity has concluded:

Growing older does not legally require you to stop:

balancing,

gliding,

swinging,

popping,

splashing,

echoing,

or pretending you opened the grocery-store doors with your mind.

However—

please continue paying your electric bill.

Apparently, there are limits.

Your Assignment

The next time some tiny piece of the world quietly asks:

Want to play?

Notice your answer.

Walk the curb.

Race the raindrop.

Take the swing.

Keep the good stick.

Make the echo.

Pop the bubble wrap.

And should anyone look at you strangely—

you needn't explain yourself.

You're busy.

Apparently...

you're still eight.

♥️