The Return To Innocence

   We can learn a lot from small children and animals, for they are still "new" pure, completely trusting, vulnerable, and unscathed... holding no judgements... The world that they so trustingly perceive is REAL, their eyes "new", filled with awe and wonder. Small children and animals appreciate things to the fullest, taking nothing for granted. These souls find pleasure in the simplest of things, never over-analyzing or "guarded".
   We are ALL little children, innocent souls, underneath our walls of protection that we build, stemming from our fears, insecurities, and vices. Once we are able to reveal our internal threats, faults, and vulnerabilities to another soul, our self-constructed walls begin to collapse and thus we are able to finally CONNECT. It is only then that we can we form true bonds with another soul.
   Everyone wants to be loved and be able to give love freely. Again, it is only fear that hinders us, for no one wants to be hurt, rejected, or abandoned. Although in order for us to truly get close to another soul, it is a risk that everyone must eventually take.
   As a small child, we will without a doubt, experience the pain and the harsh coldness that the world is so plentifully permeated with. In turn, we learn to construct walls with the purpose of protecting ourselves... a "thick skin", if you will... At some point in our lives though, we come to the realization that we have been living a life that is a "lie", living in disguise...
   It is then that we must begin the process of breaking down those self-built walls, thus uncovering the child that has been hidden deep inside. This child is the TRUE YOU, the inner child that has been there all along, timid but REAL...This process is referred to as the "return to innocence".
   This journey may begin early in a soul's lifetime, later on, or even in the next lifetime. Each journey is as unique as each soul. It is most certainly a struggle. Each individual human soul is different and evolves at it's own pace.
   So we can definitely learn a lot from small children and animals, for these innocent creatures are filled with imagination, love, compassion, and inspiration beyond belief. We ALL originally came from innocence, from the raw simplicity of our Mother Earth. We all must return to this child- like purity, returning to the ways of our birth.
   Once we reach out and take the hand of our inner child, we are well on our way.to the essential "return to innocence"...