This past week a dear childhood friend sent me the picture above. The memory of the pink and white polka dotted dresses was somewhat familiar because my mom had spoken of this recital from time to time. We were the youngest group at 6yrs old. At the end of our dance, we had to hold hands and skip around in a circle and one little girl lost her place. Apparently, we would not allow her to break back into the circle causing a bit of chaos on stage.
What really surprised me about this picture was seeing “Little Me”.
I found myself in the picture and my heart started pounding. In my face I saw my little sister and my own children’s faces, who I always thought looked much more like my husband. Suddenly, I fell head over heels in love with Little Me as it sparked wonderful memories. I was lucky I had a wonderful childhood. Growing up I remember being upside down (literally) most of the time. I was consumed with gymnastics and was always doing cartwheels, handstands or flipping around in my backyard trying new moves. I often landed on my rear or flat on my back and just got up walked back and tried again. There was no berating, no judgement, I just got up and tried again. I looked at this little girl in the picture and I brought her right back into my heart. Now, I love her beautiful essence and want to protect her as my 5th child.
This picture made me realize that I built up a false sense of who I am physically due to my awkward teen years. I spent so much time this past week loving and embracing Little Me. I also reflected that as an adult I’ve allowed others to make me feel “lesser than” and have used society’s view of perfection as a barometer of success. At 6, I was great exactly where I was in the moment, and I was happy!
I noticed since starting yoga training and becoming a certified coach, I am now closer to my 6-year self. So, it’s not a surprise that this picture landed up in my texts after 50 years!
I highly recommend you find a picture of yourself as a child and see what comes up emotionally. I realize not everyone has had a happy childhood and this might be the root cause of your adult struggles.
Regardless of what comes up, I can help guide you through the process of finding your authentic self and reclaiming your own inner child. It might be time for a Do Over.
Oh, by the way, I am 2nd from the right.
~ Andi
This post really resonates with me for many reasons. How often I have wished I could go back in time and give a big hug to me as a child. Reading your recommendation to retrieve a childhood picture is comforting. I think I will put a childhood picture on my bathroom mirror to both remind me how far I have come and also to send a virtual hug to the little girl inside of me I used to be. Thank you 😊