The weight of adulthood was never meant to silence the laughter of your inner child.
Do you remember playing in the sandbox as a kid? Where the biggest worry was whether someone stole your plastic shovel or if your sandcastle got destroyed? Those were real problems back then. But somehow, as we grew up, life didn’t just become bigger—it became heavier. More serious. More defined by what’s “wrong” or “missing.”
And somewhere along the way, that inner child who once danced in the rain and believed in imaginary worlds got buried beneath deadlines, expectations, and grown-up seriousness.
We Are Still That Child
The body may age, the mind may become conditioned, and the wounds of our past may linger, but our hearts? They still remember. They still carry that same curiosity, that same craving for joy. It’s still there—the part of you that laughed until your belly hurt over something completely silly. That part of you that loved a summer iced tea like it was the best thing on Earth.
You don’t lose the child inside you. You just stop listening to them.
What If Life Isn’t That Serious?
This thought hit me during a recent phone call with a close friend. What if we just… stopped pretending everything had to be a big deal?
What if we gave ourselves permission to approach life with a little more play, a little less pressure?
Because here’s the truth: Most of our “adult problems” are the same sandbox problems in disguise. Just with different labels. Conflict, rejection, not feeling seen. It’s the same emotional root—only now, we judge ourselves for feeling it.
Healing Is Not About Shrinking
It’s not about saying your pain doesn’t matter. It’s about understanding that it doesn’t have to run the show anymore.
When you work with the past instead of letting it control your present, you reclaim something precious: your capacity for joy. Spontaneity. Presence.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s what healing really is. Not being “perfect” or “zen,” but simply being free enough to laugh again. To feel light. To dance in the rain without needing a reason.
This Is Your Invitation
Let yourself be soft again. Curious again. Silly again. Let that inner child come out, even if it’s just in small moments—like singing too loud in the car, lying in the grass, or letting yourself dream wildly again.
Because the world doesn’t need more hardened adults. It needs more people who remember how to play. How to feel. How to live.
And the most beautiful part? You’re allowed to start today.
With love,
Katja – Creator of HOMELESS
