Perspective

Free your mind

MY DAD SENT ME one of those lists of witty sayings that go around the internet. This one was about getting older. One of the phrases stuck in my mind: The stupidest thing I ever did was to become an adult. First, it just made me laugh, and then I dug into it a little deeper and I was struck by a kernel of truth in it. Some may view being an adult as being able to juggle jobs and families, paying bills and generally getting along in the world. That’s not what I’m really thinking about here. It seems that adults get caught up in all the wrong things—having a political stance, solidifying beliefs about how the world is or should be, valuing possessions and positions.

I wonder at what point do we go from being open-minded beings exploring our world with fascination to being opinionated, stuck people who have a hard time seeing beyond our own noses. I’m probably overstating, but it seems that we do lose some of the wonder and openness to the endless variety that the world offers to getting frozen in place as our minds (and our bodies) become more rigid and less flexible.

In our quest to sort out right from wrong, good from bad, we get into an us-and-them mindset. And it just gets easier and easier to not even be open to ideas that don’t fit our world view. What’s the difference between a weed and a flower? A judgment. And we seem to solidify our judgements.

But what if we didn’t?

It seems that part of becoming an adult can be sorting thoughts and ideas into boxes: these things I believe and these things I don’t. These beliefs and lifestyles are right, and these aren’t. But what if instead we didn’t separate weeds from flowers and tried to keep our minds flexible. What if we didn’t cling so tightly to our opinions as though they’re right simply because they’re ours.

Easier said than done, I know.

Lynn Nichols writes about preparing for and starting kindergarten. Kindergarten is the first step on the path to adulthood. An early step where we learned rules that make civil society and where we get introduced to new ideas and people.

I’m just curious how we go from our big open minds that we have as children where everything is a wonder to our “adult” mind full of opinions and narrowing views.

Anyway, that’s what I think of when I read the phrase: The stupidest thing I ever did was to become an adult.

Stay loose,

Scott AUGUST 2022 • Volume 26, Issue 3

PUBLISHER Scott Titterington, (970)221-9210 scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com EDITOR Kristin Titterington, (970)221-9210 kristin.rmpublishing@gmail.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Emily Zaynard emily.rmpublishing@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Greg Hoffman, (970)689-6832 greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Susan Harting susan.rmpublishing@gmail.com COVER PHOTO Cheri Schonfeld Courtesy of Sky's Open Designs CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Theresa Baer, Lea Hanson, Lynn U. Nichols, Claire L. Sable

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