Seven seems to be a magic age.  You still run down the dock and leap into the water or jump off the side of the pool even though you know the water will be freezing.  You know … but you don’t let it stop you. 

It is that balance of knowing yet not holding back that got most of us to ride a bike without the training wheels and/or to take the first downhill on a scooter or skateboard.  Some time after seven, caution creeps in.  We begin to worry about embarrassing ourselves or failing.  Our gusto gets tempered.

I will never ski. I suspect because I was past seven when it was introduced. This doesn’t worry me.  I’m concerned about the other opportunities “to run down the dock and leap” that surround all of us, but we no longer even notice … the Tai Chi group that gathers in the park, the baking classes at the gourmet shop, the lectures at the Community College, and the casual invitations to come sail/run/paint/etc.

Robert Stephens, the founder of the Geek Squad, when asked what trait he most sought in others said it was curiosity.  He described it as the I’d-love-to-know-that, that’d-be-fun, and the that-would-be-awesome variety of curiosity of a seven year old.  He believed the curious person could be taught anything … and even more important would continue to teach him or herself.

Dale Carnegie, the author and motivator, said, “Today is life – the only life you are sure of.  Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.  Live today with gusto.”  May we each reclaim the magic of being seven and the wonder it holds.

• When was the last time you let go and jumped in?
• What one thing can you do today to be 7 again?