A short list of childish things that college students should do more often

    As a second-going-on-third year college student, I feel that I successfully integrated into a culture of young adults bent on discovering their futures. Seriously, all the focus is directed towards what's coming next in our lives...classes that train us in our career path of choice (if we've even settled on one), jobs that earn us money for future loan payments, and all-consuming drive to find a commited life-long relationship. Being a Bethel student, that last one has increased pressure; we're pretty renowned for the whole "ring by spring" crap.
 
    But today I was thinking that as important the future is, the past should be given a bit more attention. I remember my childhood, as no doubt many of you do, with a certian fondness and longing. I long for the carefree attitude of it all, the feeling of wonder and excitement from the most simple of activities. My little brother and I loved to play make-believe, we played with Legos and Pokemon cards, 

and SOCK 'EM BOPPERS. Now THAT was the best toy of all freaking time! You could punch your brother with one punch, and hit his ENTIRE face. One punch!   But I digress.

Anyway, as I was blissfully drowning in my little sea of nostalgia, I abruptly came around and realized something. As a young adult in the college world, I am indirectly discouraged from partaking in these childish activities. WHYYYYY?!
Okay that was a little intense.

But seriously. So I thought about this a bit more, and I realized something. As important as focusing on the future is, we NEED to start letting our inner children out to play. Here's a short list of, you guessed it, childish things that college students do more often, but don't for some sick, twisted reason:

     1. COLORING. Now I'll be the first to say that this is a GREAT de-stresser. Yes, I do color, thank you very much. Not often, because I actually have to focus on classes and adult life. But I still do it. No shame.
     2. Action Figures (Guys) /Dolls (Girls). I actually don't own any action figures anymore, sadly. And the more I look around, kids don't play with these nearly as much as in the 90's. Probably because this new generation has moved onto realistic video games and no longer possess the capability to imagine anything past a TV screen. Uncreative little morons.
    3. Disney Movies.  Just saying, I have a deep love for Disney movies. Being a child of the early 90's, my childhood was fully immersed in the magical world of Disney. My dad tells me that, as a young kid, my favorite movie was a toss-up between the Lion King and the Little Mermaid. Those two are STILL in the top 10. NO. SHAME. This one I don't press as much, because there already is a significant amount of college peoples out there that regularly watch some classic Disney. But my roommates don't. I think one of them said something about it being "for babies."  UNbelievable.
    4. Disney Songs. This one has to be a separate subject in and of itself. As you all very well know, the best flippin' part of Disney movies was when the entire cast spontaneously broke out into perfectly choreographed song and dance. Nowadays, I find it completely necessary to BELT all the words to a Disney song I know. I dream of a world where I walk into a room and say, "LETS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!", and everyone knows what the heck I'm talking about.
    5. Hide and go Seek. This was a large part of my childhood interation with other kids. Maybe we don't do this as much anymore because we're three times as large. I definately can't fit in the kitchen cabinet anymore! I digress.
    6. Playgrounds. Wasn't swinging on the swingset the greatest thing? They should make adult-sized playgrounds. Because I'm just too big for most swings and monkey bars. Shame. That could be another great de-stresser. AND a way to burn some carbs.
    7. Playing in the Snow. I have to admit, I'm a bit of a hypocrite on this one. Yes, I'm a born and bred Minnesnowtan (you see what I did there?), and I do hate snow. My body is naturally conditioned to extreme cold weather, thanks to generations of hardened Norskies and Finns. And I hate snow. Regardless, it still brings a smile to my beardly face when I see "big kids" playing in the snow together. It's a nice feeling.
   

  That's all I have for now, but THIS ISN'T OVER. I'll be back...with weapons. Also with an updated post.