twenty-ish

As we grow, our confidence doesn’t always follow. Maybe if we were picking up The Little Engine That Could before bedtime or any time, we’d feel and act differently. There are so many chances for your confidence to get bruised, adulthood is no different. In fact, your twenties can be a particularly challenging time. And yes, maybe there’s a Ted Talk with your name on it that really strikes a chord. Great! Some of us, (I hope I’m not alone here) would rather revisit childhood favorites and regress in a healthy, productive way.

Regression gets a bad rap being tacked onto too many negative connotations, but it doesn’t have to be. As adults, we are bombarded with a ton of messages saying we can’t, we shouldn’t, or simply don’t, some of which come directly from ourselves. But remember The Little Engine That Could? Remember the rhythmic mantra “I think I can”? Mottos and mantras don’t have to be exchanged for new, shinier, mature ones if our childhood gems do the trick. (If it ain’t broke…) There’s no reason why we can’t latch onto the repetition of those four small words if they ignite something within us to try, and believe we can. Plus, maybe as kids we had it all were doing something right. Do me a favor? When you get to the top of that mountain (and you will), and you’re staring down at all you’ve overcome, channel Samuel L. Jackson to the best of your ability and say: “Choo Choo, motherfucker”. Done? Go ahead and drop a bill in a swear jar for being a total badass. Inner child status: proud. Worth it!

What other children’s books should we revisit as adults?

Note: If for some reason having a kiddie book laying around isn’t your thing, you could always gift it at your next baby shower. (Anyone else got a News Feed full of babies and mommies to be?)