Swimming

At work today we took the kids down the rec center to go swimming. As I was watching them swim, I started to think about how exciting swimming is when you are a kid. I remember that it didn't matter where we went on family vacations- if there was a swimming pool in the hotel, it made our trip. We just wanted to swim. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good swim now. But I think I do it maybe 2 times a year, and it isn't nearly as much of a joyful experience as it was when I was younger. It didn't matter to these kids that they only had like a half an hour to be in the pool, or that half of them had swim suits that didn't fit, they just wanted to get in the water. Just watching them enjoy something that much made my day. But I wonder how it is that kids are able to really appreciate the simple things in life, and why we grow out of that as adults. We still enjoy the simple things, but they aren't as simple. Like a movie I saw recently where these children were chasing around bubbles on the playground and one of the characters said, "I wish I loved anything as much as my kids love bubbles." I just find it interesting that the mere act of jumping off of something or catching a ball is enough to really make a child's day. I don't know why as we get older those things aren't worth doing anymore...And you really can't get that excitement back even if you tried. We really don't just PLAY anymore. Playing seems like it should be too important to give up.
So anyway, I watched the kids splash each other in the pool and laugh with a genuine glee that I am sure they haven't gotten to do in some time. It was an hour out of the day where I think we all forgot about the world we live in and lived in the world where swimming and splashing is all that matters. Plus, they were all so tired afterward that bed time was a whole lot easier on us adults.