Inner child?

Just a normal extremely busy day in my life. I rarely stop to take in a moment. Come to think of it though, something important happened. I had an encounter with my inner child. It was so subtle that i barely realized it. i didn't recognize that natural part of me that had been buried under standardized tests, peer pressure, and master prommissory notes.
I teach a jazz/hip-hop class for 6 year olds consisting basically of hopping around to a Hannah Montana dance mix for 45 minutes. I was NOT in the mood. I just got out of work, applied for my passport, got to work on getting my student loans in order; i was a responsible young ADULT today, and this dance class seemed an utter waste of my precious minutes.
However, being a young adult, i had to grin and bear it, it was my OBLIGATION. My dance teacher sensed my uptightness and encouraged me in her broken English "Be free, Jessica, be like a child, have fun!" She was right, i did need to loosen up or this 45 minutes really would be a waste.
As i walked into the studio the expecting eyes of the little girls waited to be amazed. Yea, right...what to do.... jump around? "Alright guys, shake it out!" I wiggled around and they followed, giggling but getting the idea. I wriggled out of my grown-up shell. As we danced on i found myself envious of these 6 year olds. They really were free. They sang out loud, jumped around, they did what they felt. As the class went on i found myself lowering my guard. There was no one around to judge or critique. Not a single weird look thrown my way, no "constructive criticism", not a thought of whether i was doing something right or wrong. I wasn't Jessica Volpe, I was Jessie. My inner child made an appearance.
I can't remember the last time i truly felt this way. I am passionate about dance. It is something that i love to do. But it is so easy to get caught up in technique and honing skills that you forget to let yourself go, to let the music pull you this way and that and not care if you make a mistake or even a silly face. Dance is about expressing yourself, and I'd forgotten that.