What living with childish excitement feels like
Comics about being a grown child and "Why snow makes us happy"
Dear readers,
My partner once asked me “Do you remember that feeling when you were a child and got so excited about random things, like getting a present or going on a trip?” And I answered, “Well, I still feel like that every time I buy a new LEGO set or get some food I really like, or do something fun…” That made me wonder, why am I still a child at 32 years of age?
What living with childish excitement feels like
In case you missed it, this was a Sex and the City reference. Turns out Carrie Bradshaw was 32 in season one, like me now!
This weekend, I had a great idea for a post, which was “Why snow makes us happy”. I was so hyped. It was going to be in the form of a listicle, and these were my reasons for why people like snow: 1. It’s pretty. 2. The places we know look different and mysterious. 3. It feels like living on a different planet.
When I started writing the reasons and trying to expand on them, I really felt like a child who says “I like snow because it’s pretty”. Maybe this was just a lack of proper inspiration to write something more meaningful, but it’s also kind of true that I love writing pieces about why I like toys, comics, and other things often considered childish. Sometimes they turned into actual posts. In fact, if you continue reading, you will get to see “Why snow makes us happy”.
The answer to why I like these things is that I’m an ADHDer who needs extra stimulation, which I can easily find when I build some crazy excitement around anything playful. For example, I went to a botanical garden this weekend and I acted like a complete child there (see why below), and then I went on to buy a Botanical Garden LEGO set to recreate my experience because I was so hyped about the whole thing. Here is the story in a LEGO comic made with my new set.
This blue butterfly is exactly the kind we saw live! I love having small plastic-y LEGO pieces that mirror real life.
And just to be completely fair to my childish self, I will include here the draft of “Why snow makes us happy”, also because I kind of like it, but I don’t feel like finishing it.
Why snow makes us happy
Years ago my friend was depressed and she asked me what anyone could be looking forward to in life. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I know that my answer did not include things we typically think of when we are asked what makes people happy, like relationships and career. I said: “Winter is coming, and it will snow soon. All the nature around your house will be covered in white. You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?”
To be honest, I don’t know if this truly resonated with her, but she is well today and that’s all that matters. However, I know I am not the only one who gets so enchanted by snow to consider it a reason to get out of bed and go out and play with it.
In the last couple of weeks, it snowed in many places in the Northern Hemisphere, including where I live, and my social media was flooded with people reacting to the snow. I got reminded of the story about my friend when I saw this reel by Elyse Myers. During these few weeks of snow, I felt a similar type of mindfulness as during the pandemic. I worked from home, I took a break in the middle of the day, and walked in the park to soak in the wintery environment.
And now that the snow is gone, I realized what a positive impact it had on my and apparently other people’s mental health: We want to be alive to see it and experience it! It feels so special witnessing such an extremely different environment than what we are used to. But what is it about snow that makes us happy?
Everything is more beautiful.
Ordinary places look more mysterious.
The parks we know look like entirely new parks.
It feels like living on a different planet for a while.
Maybe I was a bit unfair in the beginning, this does read like an inspired post and not a childish post. Maybe there just isn’t much left to say about my four points, because we know exactly what they mean❄️
I hope you liked this short funny break from Brave Hearts.
Do you also like LEGO, snow, or things others consider childish? Or have you also watched all seasons of Sex and the City and now wonder what the hell was that show even about? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Ana
Oh, I can relate. Even though I'll be celebrating 51 years in this body this year, I love to have child-like joy. For example, for Christmas I asked my wife to get me Tom & Jerry cartoon pajamas, I love to sing silly songs, and when I feel happy I dance around the house like a little child. I don't care what others think--including my young adult kids who only roll their eyes and ask me if I'm feeling OK. I respond that I'm better than OK. 😄
Haha, that's great! Christmas is definitely the best occasion for people like us, building the anticipation around presents and then getting to open them is amazing 😊