Showing Off Or Showing Up By: Alexandra Folz

Last weekend I took my girls roller skating at the local roller rink. I wanted mom/daughter bonding time, AND a date with my inner child.

These past few years I’ve peeled off stifling layers of adulthood, and the illusion that I am my past, my parents, my enemies, my friends, my stuff, my occupation, my children, and my future. I believe this is why “she” showed up! Yes, my inner child met me at the skate counter as I traded my Dansko’s in for sassy, hard-leather skates with frayed laces and orange wheels.

You’d think since I wrote Indigo’s Bracelet, I have a great relationship with my inner child. But that’s just not the case. In fact, I actually believe writing the story helped me find her (most of you already figured that out).

Before I go on, here are a few definitions for inner child.
1. The child you once were…(www.whatisholistic.com)
2. The childlike aspect of a person’s psyche especially when viewed as an independent entity (www.Dictionary.com)
3.(MY FAVORITE)…The essential, or original self, regarded as a child, existing within the shell of an adult
(www.wiktionary.org)

I guess it’s no surprise that the kid in me SHOWED UP and grooved around the rink. To my core, I’ve always loved to dance and move fast. But what DID surprise me was something my daughter said. After I’d taken a few lively spins around the disco ball, I locked hands with her and smiled. She looked at me and said, “It’s kind of like your SHOWING OFF out there.”

At first I didn’t know what to say. But then I smiled and said, “Oh honey, I’m just SHOWING UP!” She smiled back (thanks goodness), and we skated hand in hand.

Then I thought, Ahhhh yes. Another example of what happens to kids when they express themselves. Their peers think they’re showing off! A child’s self-expression sparks another kid’s judgments and projections. No wonder children lock their impulsive, energetic, spontaneous, and most importantly, authentic, essence deep inside.

Okay, and to set the record straight? I DID release my inner child. I let her authentic nature bend and glide to Michael Jackson’s Beat It. But I wasn’t a siren demanding attention. I just allowed that primal essence that has lived with me the longest, out to play.

In fact, I realized she IS the house of my soul. She is the framework for all that I am. She’s the one that holds the infinite inner wisdom from ancient times and travels. She is Love, and the connection to all that IS. And, all she ever wants to do is…SHOW UP AND PLAY.

ALEXANDRA FOLZ has a Master’s in Nursing and has worked as a Nurse Practitioner since 1997.  Her interest and study of spiritual practices from around the world have expanded her professional work to include holistic healing methods and intuitive readings. Alexandra lives with her husband and two young daughters in Washington State.

You can read more of Alexandra's articles at The Whisperer's Notes                                      


Find our more about Alexandra's inspiring tween picture book Indigo's Bracelet.