I had to buy a mouse for my work computer. The box came yesterday covered in bubble wrap. Yup, you guessed it. For the next hour, I kept myself busy in meetings popping the bubbles. Someone said something amusing, pop-pop. Another person said something important about a project I’m working on, pop-pop-pop.

Oh, thank goodness for the mute button.

But the silliness of the moment reminded me of a general truth about life. If you cut most people open. If you break us down to our simplest form . . . to our core . . . to our center . . . we’re kids at heart. We’re children. We find joy in simple things, maintaining curiosity, and experiencing wonder.

I may be in my late fifties. I may slouch when I stand up. I may have a hundred and one adult worries and concerns floating through my head. However, give me a 3×5 piece of cushioned air-filled bubbles and I’m a ten year old kid again. Pop. Pop. Pop. Oh, life’s little wonders.

I think there are a few other everyday things that have a way of turning back time. Whether you’re 20 or 120, they bring out our childhood glee.

Here’s a few of them:

–Crayons. The original Crayola Crayons. The smell. The waxy feel. The best.

–A Slinky and Silly String.

–Music from our youth.

–Bugs Bunny, Wile E Coyote and the Roadrunner.

–A Rubrik’s Cube.

–Getting on a swing or sliding down a slide.

–Bubble gum.

–Charlotte’s Web.

–Having $5 in your hand and ordering an ice cream cone from a local stand or an ice cream truck while it plays a catchy jingle to get the attention of parents and kids.

–A blue sky.

–Magic.

–Riding a Carousel.

In the words of George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

I know my childhood is long gone, but I love how bubble wrap and crayons remind me that anything is possible and give me a glimpse every so often of what it means to be a kid.

Oh to be a kid again.

What would you add to my list?