When I was a child

Backward, turn backward, O time, in your flight, Make me a child again just for tonight! -Elizabeth Akers Allen

It's never too late to have a happy childhood. -Tom Robbins

Go back to the playground. Swing to and fro with the freedom of carefree nonchalance. Experience the seesaw of enthusiasms and contradictions that fill a child's day. We often reminisce: "When I was a child life seemed so effortless" or "When I was a child I laughed all the time" or "I was never a child; I had too much responsibility" A geyser of feelings is likely to erupt every time we venture back to our early years. Every one of us can evoke childhood memories that are punctuated by glee and sadness, by wonder, amusement, bewilderment, or pain.

Some prefer to adopt the motto "Never look back." Others cling to the past or use it as an excuse for today's dramas. The little person we once were still exists within us, and there are occasions when we react to life's conundrums from that small child's point of view. This can be good or bad, depending upon the situation. Maintaining a sense of delight in the grownup world keeps our perceptions fresh. Reacting to situations with childish immaturity can inhibit both our inner development and our relationships.

Wave your magic memory wand and travel back to your childhood. Unearth old hurts, then bring them to your present consciousness and heal them. Indulge in past joys; remember how certain lessons were learned. Pinpoint the roots of patterns you revert to today when challenged or praised.

What does your child have to tell you or help you understand? Experience the enchantment, but don't shy away from the sadness. Close your eyes for a few moments before you begin. See yourself at a certain age ­a different age each time you do this exercise ­and write only in the present tense.

Use print for ages up to ten, and script for ages ten to thirteen. Or try writing with your nondominant hand. Now begin, "I am (age). . ."