Play!

Do you take time out to Play?

Back when I was a DJ, the company I worked for had a slogan "We don't play music, we make music play."  This made me think of the word play itself.  When you get together with friends you might play a game, maybe you like to play music.  Putting on a play or going to one is fun.  Play seems to equal fun.

We can learn from play too and while we are young this is how we are taught to hold our interest.  In Kindergarten we play and as we get older we have homework and school is less about play and more about work. We get older and decide we are adults and only kids play.

But is their a difference in whether we are playing a video game, playing pretend, or playing the piano? When we play we are able to expand our creativity and grow.  Our sense of play, wonder and curiosity often declines as we get older. 

We don't want to be childish but that doesn't mean you have to give up the magic of childhood. You can be a "big kid" or a "kid at heart", there's nothing wrong with that.  Spend some time with kids, actually play with them.  Kids can teach you to open up your heart that you have closed over time. 

I go with my pre-school nephew to play group at school from time to time.  My Mom babysits this little guy that she brings to the Play Group so its fun for all of us.  Here if you look closely enough you can see the kids being teachers.  One of my nephews little friends smiles at me encouraging me to clap along and participate in circle time.  Kids are great teachers helping us tap into our youthful enthusiasm and energy that we so often as adults lack. Another good teacher of play are dogs, or cats. 

Connecting with play with energy and enthusiasm makes life worth living and not just surviving day to day. It is easy with technology's role today to miss out on the imaginative possibilities of play.  Exercising your imagination exercises your visualization skills. Visualization skills are needed to be able to set goals.

Play has many benefits and is something that too quickly is forgotten in all its forms.  I invite you to go out and find something today to play with enthusiasm and joy.