How Young Are You?

Regarding "How old are you?", we might as well change ways of asking such as "How young are you?" When I play with children in a park or elsewhere, kids ask my name and "How old are you?" Quite interesting to see their parents secretly smiling or giggling around me. I feel adults want to know how old I am, too.  My answer is clear. "When I was born, I saw dinosauruses walking around my house. I'm very old. They were huge. I saw a T Rex." One day, my answer impressed a little boy. He asked me, "Were you scared?" "No, some of them were friendly and not so big." Ah, what a shame, I had to go home after exercises in a park (*the picture book illustration is waiting for me!). I wish I could have a chat with that boy! In our imaginative world, the boy and I could have played with dinosauruses. I love to do pretending with children. Why are children young?

A girl between a woman and a child

I think because children have dreams, creativity and imagination. As long as a person has a dream and strives for it, she is young, I believe. Among us, adults, I feel some people are much younger than their real ages. They have dreams, working to achieve it or enjoying their work. "How young are you?" sounds appropriate to ask such young heart people. I do not mean to deny our physical aging though, the sentence sounds nice. People enjoying their work are shining. I feel that Emma Bennison is one of them, young people. 

Emma Bennison steps down Accessible Arts Australia Chief Executive Officer and will move on to lead Blind Citizens Australia, the national consumer organisation of Australians who are blind or vision-impaired. She was the first AAA CEO with disability since 2012. Thank you very much, Emma, for your wonderful work in the arts, disability and cultural sectors. I'd express a deep gratitude for Emma's genuine empathy and huge efforts on behalf of artists with disability. She's kind and brave that she even disclosed a private life as an example in conferences to talk of the quest of equality and human rights. It was lovely to make friends with world leading peak bodies through her in Arts Activated Conference 2016 held by Accessible Arts NSW. 
Also, her attitude has become my role model. Not only being staying passively in a peak body, but also, taking initiatives in society is the beauty of a participant.  
I'll take initiatives and want to pay back what I've received from AAA and Emma to society. 

Emma, please keep up your wonderful work. I'll do my best in my own way. I wish her success, joy and a bright future. 

"How young am I?" I ask myself. I enjoy my work (*oh, I love it absolutely!!) and hope myself to keep a fresh eye to see the world like a child. 

Forever young Friends, Happy Painting! Enjoy dream and life! 

How Young Are You?