Do you remember the innocence of childhood? Once upon a time, when someone asked us to try something new, we responded, “Sure!” The invitation was irresistible. Adventure called. Curiosity arose. Enthusiasm surfaced. There was no fear and no concept of risk.

We tried. We fumbled. We laughed at the clumsiness of learning something new. We tried again, then again, and once again. Then we tried again – embracing the experience with joy, unconcerned about success or failure.

Then one day – someone mocked our enthusiasm – and we felt shame. What we did wrong wasn’t clear, nevertheless we felt demeaned and embarrassed. Feelings of humiliation created change in us.

We didn’t notice something heartbreaking was happening. The gusto of adventure disappeared. We stopped writing, singing, and playing with carefree joy. We began to be self-conscious, and we worried about the opinions of others. Enthusiasm disappeared. We stopped saying yes. We became hesitant and unsure about trying something new. We began to value how good we look to others, instead of how good something feels to us.

We forgot how precious it is to unapologetically drop the Hula-Hoop, hit a tennis ball over the fence, or wear an outrageous outfit.

We forgot the pleasure of embracing spontaneity – of going for it – with no concern about outcome.

We lost touch with freedom.

There are always cynics and naysayers — people who will judge us. This week of Thanksgiving, let’s not let those turkeys* get us down.

This is a pep talk – encouragement to be spontaneous, playful, and experimental. Let’s celebrate curiosity, effort, and challenge. Let’s recapture childlike glee in the unknown. Thankfully the choice is ours.

Happy Thanksgiving.

*Credit: Sandra Boynton coined the expression “Don’t let the turkey’s get you down,” which simply means — don’t allow inept or undesirable people to affect you negatively.