HGTV star Joanna Gaines recently shared a touching moment with her Instagram followers, posting a video that shows her returning to her childhood street and getting in touch with a part of herself she had “misplaced.”
Gaines Asks Followers: ‘What Were You Like When You Were Young?’
The video was part of the promotion for her upcoming book, The Stories We Tell. The video’s text reads, “When I think about that question we’re all asked as kids: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’”
“I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we were to ask one another as adults, ‘What were you like when you were young?’” she continued. Gaines went on to say that maybe if we asked ourselves that question, we would “see parts of who we used to be that we miss” or even “traits we’d forgotten were there to begin with.”
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She continued, “So I went back to the street I grew up on looking to reclaim a part of who I used to be.” The video shows Gaines lacing up her bright green roller skates, something she used to do “all the time as a little girl,” and heading off down the street.
Her Love Of Roller Skating Is Something Gaines Wants To ‘Hold On’ To
“On my skates, I could be anything,” Gaines explained over more clips of her zooming down the street on her skates. “Fast & bold, curious & carefree. I lost some of that confidence and lightness as I got older, so I went back to my hometown and I skated down my street as freely as I used to because I was longing for more of the little girl I left here and I want to reclaim that part of me and hold on tight.”
In her caption, Gaines explained further, writing, “As I wrote this book, I got to relive some of the best chapters of my story—like how light & free I felt on my skates when I was a little girl.” She then asked her followers, “Maybe you can relate to feeling like you’ve misplaced a part of yourself you really loved. Go back if you can—is there a piece of who you used to be that’s worth reclaiming?”
Follower Reactions: ‘Beautiful And So True’
Gaines’ followers took her sentiments to heart, reflecting on their own lives in the comments. “That is beautiful and so true,” one person wrote. “We lose parts of ourselves along life’s road and sometimes need to reminisce about what really made us happy.”
“I’ve been finding [my inner child] again and trying to tell my girls to never let that awesomeness you feel as a child go,” another commented. “It’s something to be cherished and protected.” It looks like Gaines’ reclamation of her childhood confidence and joy is inspiring many to do the same!