I just stumbled upon this photo of me at age four, in front of our white stucco house in Richmond, Indiana. It struck me how my pose is so similar to the one in my current Twitter profile picture. Hunched over, hands on my knees, sporting a blond bob and caught in a moment of pure glee. It got me to thinking about how much of that little girl is part of the woman I am today.
When I was little, I loved singing and performing. I would stand on my backyard swing or our picnic table and perform concerts for an audience of invisible angels. I can still close my eyes today and feel myself out there, wrapped up in joy without a care in the world, singing at the top of my lungs.Later on, I made countless tape recordings of myself as a radio DJ, often roping my little brother into being my co-host (my playlist always included the Pointer Sisters, Juice Newton and Melissa Manchester). Once, I got through on the phone to my favorite radio show, called Kids America, and it was such a huge thrill. {So wild that, years later, I co-hosted a national kids’ morning show at Radio Aahs!}
I had an entrepreneurial spirit from early on, too, whether I was staging backyard plays for the neighborhood or selling sold Girl Scout cookies like nobody’s business. I didn’t worry about rejection or budgets way back then; I just connected with people and excelled at sharing the things I loved.
As a child, I was easily dazzled by life. I wanted to make the most of each day. I trusted that I was safe and unconditionally loved. I felt lucky to be in the world. And, as I type those words, I realize that’s what I’m striving to do and be and feel today, so many years later. What I really want to be when I grow up…is the child I once was.
{So, what about you? Let’s have a play date ~ tell me who you were and how it influenced who you are!}
this is so cool! you are totally who you came into the world to be! i adored everything to do with animals when i was little. tried to convince my parents to let the squirresl and birds come IN our house. no dice. i thought i'd be a vet, but wound up being a nurse and then a coach. i think it was all about my desire to take care of others. thanks for reminding me!
adorable pictures! both of them! as a kid, all I wanted to do…ready for it?…was draw and paint. that's all. my mom could give me a pencil and a stack of copy paper and I would be entertained for hours, and if I didn't have paper, she had to keep tabs on what walls I was 'decorating'.
one of the few 'true Jenny traits' that managed to stay clear through all the 'growing' up and out of ourselves that school and society does was to kids was my passion for drawing and doodling and staying creative. And, I've noticed that the more I listen to what 4 year old Jenny wants, more likely I am to be happy. 
Aw, you were/are such a cutie!
As a little kid I was extremely introverted. I loved to draw and read and those are still some of my favorites. But I'm not sorry to have grown out of most of my shyness.
um…what is this. you grew up in richmond. did you know that i am an indiana girl?
@Betty – How cool that you can see that common thread! Love it.
@Jennifer – Destined to be an artist, of course!
@Melody – You're coming out of your shell! Wheeeeeee!
@Kelly – I have fond memories of Indiana, but we moved to Minnesota when I was 5. Perhaps we exchanged glances at a grocery store in our younger years!?
"finding my way
back to me"
…what an awesome way
to put it.
The journey looks so
good on you.
-Jennifer
Liv, I had no idea you grew up in Richmond, IN! I am literally just minutes north of there, in Winchester!
Loved this post. But I think I may have developed backwards…I'm more of a child now than I was when I actually was a child! As a child I was filled with self-doubt. But today I am stronger and more self-confident than ever. I know that the world is not always a safe place, but I have more hope now than ever. To borrow a line from "Bruce Almighty," 'be the change you want to see.' That's how I'm trying to live today.
performed concerts for an audience of invisible angels!!! brilliant!
liv! the parallels from then to know are mind-blowing!!! she/you is/are gorrrrrgeous! i love her/you!!!! sooooo! xoxox
I love both pictures. Your smiles and love of life really radiates through. As a kid I loved to read, write and draw. Now I still love to read, write, and draw in that order. I have am also fascinated by people. I love to know more about them and what makes them tick. As a child I was more of an observer of life, now I want to participate.
oh i love this post! yes. it is such a beautiful think to sink into who we are as we learn from who we were as a little girl. yes.