I was at a party yesterday. Kids were rampaging through the house in an epic game of Hide and Seek.

A new guest arrived. She said, "I wish I could have that much fun playing Hide and Seek."

i thought about the ages of the kids involved. Enough of them were old enough that an adult probably wouldn't hide more effectively than they could find. "I think they are old enough that it wouldn't mess up the game; you could go join them."

"No, but I don't think I'd actually have that much fun; I just wish I would," she said.

"If you want to, you could decide to have fun."

"You can decide stuff like that?" she asked.

I was sad. I hope never to grow up enough that I see fun before me, desire it, could join, and yet cannot choose to live in the world where that fun is real. I at least can choose to make that fun real. I was sad i could not offer that to her.