Marley Jaxx
What about you today would make your 8-year-old self cry?I think about 8 year old Marley more often than I’d like to admit.At 8 years old, life was simple. Dreams were vivid, boundaries didn’t exist, and everything seemed possible. You’d catch me back then with scraped knees, wild ideas, and a belief that anything could happen if I wanted it badly enough. My biggest concerns were which tree to climb or what adventure to dream up next.I wonder what my 8-year-old self would see if she looked at me today.Would she tell me I’ve forgotten how to play? How I traded in the joy of just BEING for an endless to-do list? Would she wonder why I stopped making time for the things that lit me up, like spending hours drawing or getting lost in a book? I used to think there was time for everything. Now, sometimes, I act like there’s time for nothing.Would she see that sometimes I’ve let fear creep in where there used to be only curiosity? That girl wasn’t scared of trying new things, of failing, of falling flat on her face. Somewhere along the way, I picked up the habit of second-guessing everything, and if I’m honest... I think it’d break her heart to see that.At 8 years old, “no” wasn’t a permanent answer, everything was negotiable, and if you wanted something badly enough, you could create it. Today, it’s easy to forget that. To think limits are real when they aren’t. All an 8 year old wants to do is believe in magic and keep going, no matter what.At 33 I have to ask my 8 year old self for advice… often I’m waiting for the “right” time when she’d know better. She’d know the right time was always right now.She’d tell me to let go of the fear, to stop second guessing, and to climb the damn tree.And I think, for her, I will.
1 month ago | [YT] | 18
Marley Jaxx
What about you today would make your 8-year-old self cry?
I think about 8 year old Marley more often than I’d like to admit.
At 8 years old, life was simple. Dreams were vivid, boundaries didn’t exist, and everything seemed possible.
You’d catch me back then with scraped knees, wild ideas, and a belief that anything could happen if I wanted it badly enough.
My biggest concerns were which tree to climb or what adventure to dream up next.
I wonder what my 8-year-old self would see if she looked at me today.
Would she tell me I’ve forgotten how to play?
How I traded in the joy of just BEING for an endless to-do list?
Would she wonder why I stopped making time for the things that lit me up, like spending hours drawing or getting lost in a book?
I used to think there was time for everything. Now, sometimes, I act like there’s time for nothing.
Would she see that sometimes I’ve let fear creep in where there used to be only curiosity?
That girl wasn’t scared of trying new things, of failing, of falling flat on her face.
Somewhere along the way, I picked up the habit of second-guessing everything, and if I’m honest... I think it’d break her heart to see that.
At 8 years old, “no” wasn’t a permanent answer, everything was negotiable, and if you wanted something badly enough, you could create it.
Today, it’s easy to forget that. To think limits are real when they aren’t.
All an 8 year old wants to do is believe in magic and keep going, no matter what.
At 33 I have to ask my 8 year old self for advice… often I’m waiting for the “right” time when she’d know better.
She’d know the right time was always right now.
She’d tell me to let go of the fear, to stop second guessing, and to climb the damn tree.
And I think, for her, I will.
1 month ago | [YT] | 18