Are you a responsible adult? Are you focused and committed to your work and your family? Do you do what needs to be done reliably? Do you work hard almost every day? Yes? Well, here’s a question whose answer might not be in the affirmative: Do you play?
George Bernard Shaw wisely noted,
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
In our society play is something relegated to children. We understand that it is healthy and normal for them to ride bikes, play tag, draw, build forts out of sofa cushions and all that fun stuff. Those games are not seen as a waste of time or activities without value, but what about us adults? De we still get to play?
Unfortunately ‘playing’ for many adults is just vegging out on the couch and watching movies or shows on one of the dozens of streaming channels available. We might not be working, but that’s a sad excuse for play.
So what is play, and why is it important?
Play is something we do for the enjoyment of doing it, the activity itself, not for an end result. Kids play pretend because it’s fun to pretend, not so they will become real dinosaurs or intergalactic warriors. The reward is in the playing of the game, unlike our adult world where most everything we do is about the final result. We do laundry so we’ll have clean clothes to wear. We cut the grass so our property will look nice and the neighbors won’t hate us. And of course, we work so we can earn money to pays the bills. All very noble and important things, but…so is play. It is a key piece in the puzzle of our mental health and quality of life.
Play is very important because it allows us to reconnect with the present moment, to be here now, shooting hoops in the driveway, painting with wild abandon, dancing with friends, making animal shapes out of balloons, all without stress, expectations, and those other joy-sucking attributes we grown ups know all too well.
Play also brings needed balance to our lives. As adults we spend a large portion of our time attending to our responsibilities and that’s fine, but it needs to be balanced with frivolity, with nonsensical things that serve no other purpose, but are simply fun. If we do not permit ourselves this needed release, we tend to get dull in mind and body; we lose that spark of adventure and creativity that enhance our life experience.
Science will tell you play is good for our brains, our blood pressure, our heart, and most every system in our bodies. Fabulous. But let’s not forget – play is FUN – and that’s reason enough right there to do it.
So what does play look like for you? Perhaps it’s outside bird watching or something more active, like playing freeze tag with your kids or grandkids. Maybe it’s meeting up with friends for cookout or a game of frisbee with your pup. Whatever form of play makes your heart smile, I encourage you to make time in your busy week for the sheer fun of playing. After all, what’s all the hard work for if we don’t get to let our hair down and reconnect with our inner child. Now, shoo! Get out there and play!
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