The Joy of a Child by Zoe

The Joy of a Child by Zoe - November 2022 Scholarship Essay

Think about when you were a kid. You did not face the worry or stressors you have today. You had vivid imaginations, were ready to face anything, and all you could think about was going home to play kickball with all your friends in the neighborhood. At least that's what I thought about. The older I get the more I miss it. The more I realize how pure I was and how much I didn’t know. When I was little and I didn’t care what I looked like, who I was talking to, what I was doing, I was able to just be myself and live carefree.
I have spent so much time with our friends from church. They are a family of four, with a twelve year old and seven year old. As I continue to spend time with them, I think about what I was like at their ages. I think about the things I worried about and the things I struggled with. I wish so much that I could be little again. I wish almost every day that I could go back to my childhood, playing, exploring, and having so much fun every single day.
This is obviously not something I can go back to, but the joy children express is a surprising source of inspiration for me this year. As I watch and interact with kids, I realize how much joy they have and the lack of stress that they feel. They are the true representative of how to live in the moment. Kids don’t worry about their future, going to college, moving away from home, or losing friendships they’ve had for years. They worry about who is going to be it in a game of tag or who they are going to play with when they get home from school.
The joy and tranquility of a child is something I aspire to have. I hope I can have that much joy and live in the moment just like a child. Over the summer, before this school year began, I told my parents that I wanted to be a part of practically every single club, go to everything for school, make all these new friends, and “live my best life”. As I started this year I realized that my goals are much different. All I want is to live in the moment and have a good time. I want to soak up everything around me, everything I love, everything I don’t, and live everyday like there is no tomorrow. I have reshaped my goals so intensely because I see a child’s joy and tranquility and I aspire to have that.
I truly believe that children are some of the most inspirational people on this planet. They are so curious, so carefree, and they just want to have fun. I have been so surprised that kids have been my inspiration, but also that it has taken me eighteen years to realize how amazing children are, and how much we can learn from them. As I go through the rest of my senior year, and the rest of my life, I hope to be as joyful as a child, take in every moment, and not stress about the little things.