What does it mean to be a kid at heart?

One of the most unhealthy sayings of all time is “curiosity killed the cat”. I remember as a child hearing this in various contexts, usually when I was asking questions about something that an adult wanted to squash and leave behind.  The meaning left behind was obvious to my thinking – don’t ask questions and if you do, you are taking a trail that will lead to your demise. I learned to carefully ask questions, and then avoid the conflict that sprung out of them. In school, this was often to avoid creating more work for my teacher, and straying from the well thought out lesson plan. I learned to stick to the plan and don’t ask the question that was really eating at me. Then just do what they want, and move on. At church, the place I unfortunately heard this most, the cost of the questioning was ultimately shame. Any doubt, which is what often spurs curiosity, is the opposite of faith and truth for a lot of folks. The problem was I was very curious, and liked to think of myself as a little Sherlock Holmes in training. Often I would be encouraged in this trait and then, suddenly, I was belittled for it. I wanted to be curious but at the same time, I also wanted to please the adults who wielded the power, and the powerful weapon of shame pushed me into a hole that I thought I was digging myself. 

At this point in life, I think I have crawled out of that hole. Looking back, though, I know that my curiosity and creativity as a child were exponentially more wide ranging, fun, and mind blowing then what I can dream up now. Maybe I am not alone… our culture seems to push kids out of the imaginary worlds that they can create and into a harsher more grown up reality. I’ve come to believe that this is a bad thing. 

Kids are curious. This is the heart of a child. Curiousity leads to learning and adventure. Then you can be courageous, flying with dragons, living in Narnia, falling down the rabbit hole, having tea with Hobbits, and learning at the same time about your heart’s potential. 

I love that the new show on Apple TV, Ted Lasso, spends some time dealing with curiosity as being the opposite of judgement, which was borrowed from Walt Whitman. 

I find this a profound statement about what kids are naturally good at, but what adults fail to foster at all in their lives. There are probably more profound ideas about what defines the heart of a child. Children exhibit astounding faith, deep love, and speak the truth so well.  I want to highlight curiosity today, though, as it is the thing that is most allusive. We walk down paths that truly inhibit our ability as adults to change, grow and mature when we cease to be curious about the world around us and within us.  So curiosity may kill the cat, but the cat has also been blessed with nine lives. 

Be curious about your body, your health and your future. Don’t assume and judge. Ask some questions. Be a kid at heart. We could all use some of that.