I just stumbled upon this photo of me at age four, in front of our white stucco house in Richmond, Indiana. It struck me how my pose is so similar to the one in my current Twitter profile picture. Hunched over, hands on my knees, sporting a blond bob and caught in a moment of pure glee. It got me to thinking about how much of that little girl is part of the woman I am today.
When I was little, I loved singing and performing. I would stand on my backyard swing or our picnic table and perform concerts for an audience of invisible angels. I can still close my eyes today and feel myself out there, wrapped up in joy without a care in the world, singing at the top of my lungs.
Later on, I made countless tape recordings of myself as a radio DJ, often roping my little brother into being my co-host (my playlist always included the Pointer Sisters, Juice Newton and Melissa Manchester). Once, I got through on the phone to my favorite radio show, called Kids America, and it was such a huge thrill. {So wild that, years later, I co-hosted a national kids’ morning show at Radio Aahs!}
I had an entrepreneurial spirit from early on, too, whether I was staging backyard plays for the neighborhood
or selling sold Girl Scout cookies like nobody’s business. I didn’t worry about rejection or budgets way back then; I just connected with people and excelled at sharing the things I loved.
As a child, I was easily dazzled by life. I wanted to make the most of each day. I trusted that I was safe and unconditionally loved. I felt lucky to be in the world. And, as I type those words, I realize that’s what I’m striving to do and be and feel today, so many years later. What I really want to be when I grow up…is the child I once was.
{So, what about you? Let’s have a play date ~ tell me who you were and how it influenced who you are!}
