Just Play
I am a lover of the outdoors. Fresh air makes me so happy. Being in my mid-years, I am overheated A LOT. One of my favorite things to do when driving to work is roll my windows down and breathe in the morning, no matter what the weather is doing. I love all seasons equally, even when they bump into one another, as summer did with winter just last week in Denver. One day it was 83 degrees, and the next the world became a winter wonderland that included icy temps in the teens and snow.
Last week I wrote to you about being present in the moment. This one is almost a continuation of the same thing, with the exception of adding some play into the mix.
It isn't a secret that one of my favorite ways to play includes exploring outdoors with my camera. Those overlapping weather systems give me an opportunity to create beautiful photographs. Sometimes they are breathtaking, and sometimes they are but sweet memories that remind me of those moments of play.
I came across a photograph yesterday that reminded me so much of last week. It captures the same mood and feeling as being present in the moment did. Today it sits on my desk reminding me of who I am.
I have an early morning ritual that includes a candle lit room, rich creamy coffee, my Bible, my journal, and some encouraging thought-provoking book. The Bella Grace Field Guide to Everyday Magic is my current thought-provoker, and an assignment was to make a list of some of my favorite ways to feel like a kid again. All of my responses included some kind of play, but it took awhile for me to figure out what that means! I listed things like walking with my grandkids collecting rocks and sticks, Christmas and making a snowman.
Having a few extra minutes before needing to get ready for work, I picked up my guitar. It has been my source of play for 43 years. I've just recently made time for it again. I forget how much it delights me to play it! And delight is just the most perfect word for how it makes me feel. Playing.
A few hours later sitting at my desk, an email comes in from our Wellness Team that was about The Power of Play. I'm sensing a theme here. It talked about how important play is in our everyday lives, that it helps us connect, create, collaborate and calm.
In Dr. Stuart Brown's book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, he defines play as "any kind of purposeless, all-consuming, restorative activity."
Restorative activity! Indeed, play restores us.
I am pretty high-strung, and it takes work to be me. I make a point to expose myself to calming things. But I almost missed the importance of this one beautiful, critical piece of myself, and that is the importance of playing.
Play is as important as rest and earning a living and eating right and exercising and balancing the checkbook. Play keeps one grounded. Play sometimes includes others but might also exclude one from the chaos of the world for awhile. Either way, play is critical.
Messages sometimes come one at a time. But this one? It came THREE times in one day. I think I've lost my enthusiasm for play somehow. Somewhere along the line I thought it was time to outgrow it. Or perhaps, perhaps I just quit the practice of doing it.
Life should never be too busy for a moment or few of play. Playing in the snow. Playing an instrument. Playing a game. Playing with kids and grandkids. Playing with a camera. Playing with a pet. Playing with new recipes in the kitchen. Playing in the garden. Playing in the garage.
You get the picture.
Just..... play.
Last week I wrote to you about being present in the moment. This one is almost a continuation of the same thing, with the exception of adding some play into the mix.
It isn't a secret that one of my favorite ways to play includes exploring outdoors with my camera. Those overlapping weather systems give me an opportunity to create beautiful photographs. Sometimes they are breathtaking, and sometimes they are but sweet memories that remind me of those moments of play.
I came across a photograph yesterday that reminded me so much of last week. It captures the same mood and feeling as being present in the moment did. Today it sits on my desk reminding me of who I am.
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©CherieElainePhotography2019
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Having a few extra minutes before needing to get ready for work, I picked up my guitar. It has been my source of play for 43 years. I've just recently made time for it again. I forget how much it delights me to play it! And delight is just the most perfect word for how it makes me feel. Playing.
 |
©CherieElainePhotography2019
|
In Dr. Stuart Brown's book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, he defines play as "any kind of purposeless, all-consuming, restorative activity."
Restorative activity! Indeed, play restores us.
I am pretty high-strung, and it takes work to be me. I make a point to expose myself to calming things. But I almost missed the importance of this one beautiful, critical piece of myself, and that is the importance of playing.
Play is as important as rest and earning a living and eating right and exercising and balancing the checkbook. Play keeps one grounded. Play sometimes includes others but might also exclude one from the chaos of the world for awhile. Either way, play is critical.
Messages sometimes come one at a time. But this one? It came THREE times in one day. I think I've lost my enthusiasm for play somehow. Somewhere along the line I thought it was time to outgrow it. Or perhaps, perhaps I just quit the practice of doing it.
Life should never be too busy for a moment or few of play. Playing in the snow. Playing an instrument. Playing a game. Playing with kids and grandkids. Playing with a camera. Playing with a pet. Playing with new recipes in the kitchen. Playing in the garden. Playing in the garage.
You get the picture.
Just..... play.
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