Everybody Needs a Box

You know how kids find boxes and then create a place for hours of play by just living outside, inside, around a box?  A blanket turns it into a fort. A pizza pan-turned steering wheel makes the box suddenly become a race car.  They create their reality of play outside the confines of a box while playing IN it. If they lived confined IN the box, without the aid of imagination, their creativity would never become play at all. 

When do we, as adults, decide that living in the box, and expecting our lives to behave within the box, is the most important thing to do? What makes us suddenly believe imagination has no place in our world of responsibility? Why do we quit playing? 

I bought a book a couple of years ago written by Diane Ackerman called Deep Play. A couple of my coworkers said "Really, you think you need to READ that book?" I was (am?) pretty good at play. But I've let the reality of responsibility snatch it right out of my hands! Oh how I miss living-working-breathing-sleeping PLAY! I thought this book was going to help me release my inner child again, and use my box as a tool for play. It has proven to be a far deeper read than I anticipated. 

The book is sitting here on my desk. School starts on Tuesday and I want to squeeze in one more personal choice read before text books become my focus again. I am going to read the hard book sitting on my desk. I want a box. But I don't want a box I have to sit in. I want to plow through a hard read and start playing, in real time, outside, inside, and around my box!

 

This is how I want to live. OUTSIDE THE BOX. I used to look for life, on purpose, finding a way to live it. The box can be safe. Sometimes something will cut a hole in your box for something better. Mankind tried to confine Jesus to a box. Remember the story of friends who were so desperate to get inside His box on behalf of a sick friend that they cut a hole in it so they could drop him through the roof at Jesus feet? Cut a hole in your box! Let that good thing that needs you get inside of you so that you can get out of your box and LIVE. People couldn't keep Jesus in a box. They went to great lengths to confine Him. He broke free of the box. He gives US permission to be free of the box. 

Start playing. Get outside the box. Don't abandon the box, just use it for better play. Use your imagination. Play for hours with your box. You have permission. Everybody needs a box. And everybody needs to figure out what to do with it. I'm going to go find my box right now. :-)