A Little Girl Shapes the Planet

A Little Girl Shapes the Planet

I was shoveling snow the other day. Across the street, a young mother was walking with her even younger daughter – a girl of maybe 3 or 4 year old. The little girl was absolutely enthralled with the day; her little body shuffled through the snow on the sidewalk as she held her mother’s hand. She was so in love with everything! And I could sense that everything was in love with her.

In that moment I saw that even at a young age, all children have the “responsibility” to enjoy themselves, and share their love and joy with creation. Love is how they give back. Nothing more is asked of them. In other words, the expressed joy of kids is a powerful way to keep the world alive.

A child’s role is receiving; through receiving, love is given. An adult’s role is giving, and through giving there is receiving. 

Walking so happily with her mother, the little girl showed that receiving all that love from everything around her was likely equal to the greatest giving back possible! Her glow made the snow look brighter. She was just as much in ceremony as any high priest, pope or shaman, probably even more. For her, it was child’s play.

For me, it was magic.

Befriending both magic and sacred space — for the little girl, sacred space was being outside — is a great way to find that something more. We befriend them the same way we create and maintain any other positive relationship: with love, attention, intention, awareness, giving and receiving. In other words, like my young friend across the street, by being in the moment completely and authentically.

So as we get older, maybe a good part of the Game of Life really should be a return to child’s play. It really is one of the best ways to being more responsible.

© Steve Guettermann, 2025