Freedom to just BE

Went for a walk with a friend's daughter before the game on Sunday. We were gone for maybe an hour, taking photos of everything orange in the neighbourhood, of flowers and traffic signs, and of all the people dressed in orange.

We were dressed in orange as well, singing football-related songs and running around happy as anything. It's been a long time since I spent time with my nephew, and haven't had much to do with children since then. My nephew's only 3, and while my friend's daughter is 9, she's as exuberant and joyful as my nephew is.

It's easy to forget how much fun it is to spend time with children and how carefree it makes you.

For a change, it doesn't matter what people think of you, it doesn't matter if you're running around acting silly and pulling faces - there's no pressure to behave a certain way or conform to social standards.

It makes me wonder why we can't always feel that carefree and be that confident instead of constantly wondering what others might think, how others might view our actions. So much of who we are and how we express ourselves is based on feeling like one has to act a certain way to fit in, to conform, to be seen as "normal" and someone who fits in and 'matches well' with others.

Really, what's wrong with being an individual? What's wrong with doing your own thing? What's wrong with not folding to social pressure? What's wrong with being different? What's wrong with being unique? Why is fitting in so important to us these days?

I for one hope to spend lots more time with this very special girl - I really enjoyed being carefree, having fun without wondering what others might think, running around acting silly, pulling faces and talking to random strangers simply because we were all wearing orange and amped for the big game. It felt good to just be, if only for a little while.