How do you feel as a witness who passes by, definitely not as a parent, when you see children happily jumping in the puddle? You see how much they enjoy the mud, the dirty water drops, and doing something that they weren’t supposed to. Can you evoke their faces when they get prepared for the action and then the happiness expressed by their whole body and gestures?
No dirt without action
I am convinced that at least half of the children’s temptation comes from the secret place of doing something despite prohibition. They shouldn’t jump in the puddle but they can jump in the puddle, and they choose to jump, of course. As a kid I so much disliked when I wore clean clothes, so I rushed to play in the yard and got dirty soon again. The neighbors always noticed how dirty I was, but they also knew that I was the most restless and rebellious child in the area. Being dirty and being dirty enough was the sign of having spent a really good time and not wasting even a moment resting instead of playing. Don’t you miss the sense of that innocent and genuine dirt?
Secret desires
As time passed, we were clean more and more often. To put it in another way, we slowly stopped being dirty as it became less and less convenient and acceptable. We were told how to behave correctly, we had to learn the social norms, rules and behavioral patterns. If you had a really successful education, you learnt that dirt and being grown-up don’t go hand in hand. I promise, I keep it a secret, but wouldn’t you love to jump in the puddle again, too?
I was told to be normal.
I was advised that if I try to accommodate myself to the social expectations and I keep my thoughts to myself more often, life will be easier and kinder with me. I was told how to be ordinary and I received a classic education to become a well-behaved woman. I was taught how an elegant woman shows up, speaks, walks and interacts. I was taught to be grateful, respectful, kind and polite. I was taught that if I hide my true rebellious self, I won’t have problems. I failed, and I failed, and I failed at each lesson but the real truth of who I am and why I do what I do became more distant due to the advice and discipline received consistently from the outside.
I am an alien
A few weeks ago I was caught by heavy rains, one after the other. I was so dirty, my shoes, my legs, even my hair was muddy. I didn’t care how I looked, I actually enjoyed it, I felt free. I felt like a child who doesn’t care yet how they are supposed to behave. I felt like a child who acts for the sense of joy and relief. I felt like I had regained something that I almost forgot about as being careful, far-seeing, decent and normal was the message I heard for years. I was taught about the dangers I could face, and I learned to stand still to keep safe as everyone else around me. If this is good for them, why wouldn’t it be for me, too?
Rediscover what once you had
Getting dirty though is not just about joy and freedom. Getting dirty is also about pushing away the social norms and constructs that often block you and digging deep until you find out what you really want. You can only jump into that puddle if you don’t care who watches you and what they think about you. First, notice and get rid of the unnecessary and limiting constructs of the society, your environment and yourself. Second, decide whether you would like to be less normal, far more weird, free and experience exponential growth or you are OK with what comes anyways. I wonder if you love it dirty too. Well?
love, d.
dorialbert.com 