Do you ever long to release your Inner Scarlett? I’m almost certain that most people would reply in the affirmative if I were to provide an image of how I define an Inner Scarlett. Imagine if you will an absolutely perfect summer day in Palmer, Alaska where the sky is such a rich blue that the white puffy clouds and the gray stone of the snow-capped mountains provide a rich contrast in colors; where the temperature is so ideal that not a drop of sweat exists even when sitting still on a wooden picnic table at the airport in direct sunlight. Are you able to visualize the scenery here? If not, trust me, I have a ton of photos I will be delighted to share. John Eldredge captures the view before me in Get Your Life Back, “We live every moment of our lives under this gorgeous blue canopy, the dome of a great cathedral, and how seldom we enjoy it.”

Now, add to this scenery a little tow-headed girl, approximately three-years old (I never did ask) with the precious curls that make your fingers long to wrap around their softness. Without a care in the world, Scarlett rolls around in the small patch of luscious grass located between the Skydive Alaska offices and the fuel station. With her pretty pink rainboots adorned on the wrong feet, she prances around that small plot of land pretending the ribbon around her shoulders is a purse with some great treasures inside. She has no concept of Chronos time and is content to stay oblivious to those of us nervously awaiting our turn to fall out of a perfectly functioning Cessna high above the 49^th state.

As we sit and wait and wait and wait…little Scarlett entertains us with her antics, even getting roped in by her older brother to convince us that he was bleeding and needing help, the three waiting ladies followed her dutifully into the office to see if we could help. Suckers! But as I delighted in watching her playfulness, I wondered about my own Inner Scarlett—the person inside who just knows how to revel in a beautiful summer day—no worries about our finiteness such as sickness and death, no concerns over financial matters or adult responsibilities, just a little girl living in the moment. How rarely do I allow my Inner Scarlett to rule the day in a way that only young children can?

I’m not certain where my Inner Scarlett hides, but I am confident that there are days when she wants to be allowed out to play. Sometimes she appears in the preschool ministry at West Jackson, where you are certain to be entertained, in some form or fashion, every time you serve. On rare occasions, she might be convinced to scream and raise her hands as a roller coaster careens down and into a loop at an amusement park. The one guaranteed place my Inner Scarlett will emerge is on a swing, because it takes me back to Denver Street and my attempts to either reach the American sweetgum branches or to at least make the back support poles come off the ground. Until this moment in Alaska, that might have been my best attempt to soar into the air.

After observing a precious little girl and laughing at her antics, I am determined to allow my own Inner Scarlett out more often. To laugh a little harder at God’s sense of humor to allow the song I’ll Fly Away to play over the speakers as I turn the rental car onto Airport Road…to perhaps roll around in the grass (or snow) without a worry of getting itchy or wet…to belt out a Debbie Gibson or Tiffany song in my own driveway even if neighbors are nearby (what do you think, Carla?)…or to just allow God to take the weight of worry from my mind. Regardless of how “seasoned” I may become, I need to remember to allow that Inner Scarlett out on a regular basis, perhaps not to act like a three-year-old, but to immerse myself in the present, allowing the wonder and awe that children possess to consume me for a short period of time…to live, laugh, and love!

Who brings out your Inner Scarlett? Can you recall a moment when you allowed yourself to laugh like a little girl or boy? Please feel free to share in the comments below.

References:

Brumley, A.E. (1929). I’ll Fly Away. [Recorded by Alan Jackson]. On Precious Memories. Arista Nashville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNaf8WjAB44

Eldredge, J. (2020). Get your life back: Everyday practices for a world gone mad. [Kindle version]. Thomas Nelson.