Remember back when your were a kid? You’d lie on the ground watching the clouds move by. You’d let your imagination transform those fluffy accumulations of moisture into faces and landscapes and cartoon characters.

Or, you’d watch the ants hurrying about their tasks, following the trail blazed by others. Or, delight in blowing on dandelions to watch the fluffy parachutes float slowly to the ground.

When was the last time you did any of those things?

For several years each spring I would take time off to go camping in Florida. I didn’t have an itinerary and often stayed in inexpensive state or national park campgrounds. I didn’t go to the tourist traps. I took books and my bike and simply did whatever came  to mind for those few days. They were always interesting trips.

I’d walk the beach, no goal in mind, just listening to the roar of the ocean and call of the birds. I’d watch the people and the birds and delight in finding the sand crab skittering across the sand.

I’d look out at the boats on the horizon and allow my imagination to write the story of where they’d been and where they were headed.

I’d lie on my back and stare up at the clouds during the day and let my mind relax and create its own world in the sky. And, if I was away from the big towns, I could watch the night sky bright with stars and even occasionally glimpse a falling star. I was always amazed at the number of stars that can be seen in the darkened sky; so many more than can be seen in the cities!

Occasionally a single engine plane, perhaps a Cessna, perhaps a restored World War II fighter would fly over and I’d reconnect with times in my childhood when I’d watch with excitement and wonder as the small planes from a nearby airport would pass over my grandparents’ house. I always wanted learn how to fly.

Or, I’d sit for hours reading and allowing my mind to conjure up images the author painted with his words, those images always being infinitely better than anything the movie or TV screen could muster.

As positive as these times were, though, they were not without their downsides.

I had become so accustomed to being on the go, working, tending the household, being connected to the world through my computer that this downtime – routines broken, disconnected from the instant knowledge available through the world wide web – was disconcerting after a couple of days. I would become restless, even morose at times.

I was going through withdrawal!

These feelings would soon pass, but often by then it was time to return to the real world.

Nonetheless, what these times showed me was how little we really need in order to be happy. They reminded me of the joy life can provide on its own, without all the electronic paraphernalia and hustle and bustle of work. They reminded me of the simple pleasures that can be found in the natural world around us.

And they showed me how disconnected I have become from what is truly “the real world”.

I needed those breaks, those reminders. And you may need them too.

I encourage you to take the time to lie back, watch the clouds go by and allow your mind the freedom to create. I challenge you to reconnect with your childhood to find the simplicity that still exists inside you.

What are your childhood memories?