We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Do you get enough effortless playtime? I’m talking about the opportunities for serious impromptu enjoyment—even silliness. Remember when we were kids and how much we wanted to play? Hide and seek. Ride our bikes. Tag. Swim. Anything with a ball. Build forts. Skip hand in hand with our best friend. Board games. Puzzles. Cars. Dolls. Train sets. Legos. All of it, all of the time! Think of all those marvelous toys in the Toy Story movies that we cherished to occupy our time and minds. What fun we could have playing with our friends, or just by ourselves with our adored toys.
As we grow up, we gradually start to lose that free-flowing playtime. Schoolwork and then jobs start taking precedence. Relationships, family obligations, dentist appointments. Our time gets engulfed with the never-ending demands of adult life. We think we must complete all our chores before having fun. We must be productive. Work overtime. Finish that last load of laundry. Mow the lawn. Wash the car. And before we know it, the day is gone.
It is intuitive to us all that we need more downtime and playtime. So our first thought is vacation! However, we often stress ourselves out with planning, researching the best places, the best excursions, and the most economical. And then, we have to find the time to take off and merge it with others and their times. Find and schedule the dog and house sitter. Ensure all the necessary bills are paid, and work responsibilities are handed off. Shop for new clothes. Hold the mail. Pack. Get to the airport. Whew! Now we can rest and enjoy the vacation... but wait... there is the long flight with a hopefully not canceled, connecting flight, and then settling in at the hotel. We have to see and do everything there is to see and do, so it’s a daily rush to this excursion and then that one. And don’t forget all the fantastic new restaurants, fabulous food, and, unfortunately, the late-night heartburn, sluggishness, and bloating!
Don’t get me wrong... traveling and experiencing new sights and adventures is terrific and expands our book of life with great memories. But it takes work, adds stress, and usually a few pounds. Then when we come home, we have to struggle to get caught up with our missed chores, ramp up the exercise, and get back on a good diet.
So vacation, although fun, enjoyable and memorable, is not my idea of effortless playtime. I like to think of playtime as planned yet unplanned simultaneously. We need to have moments in our days that can spontaneously happen and become playful. Plan for extra time with nothing scheduled, and see what happens. You might be surprised by what you come up with on the spur of the moment!
Remember recess? We were all just released from the classroom to play. Nothing was structured. It just happened. In my grade school, we had 15 minutes each morning and afternoon for playtime—monkey bars, kickball, dodgeball, or just hanging out with friends. Maybe we all need to incorporate a new adult recess into our days. I found a great t-shirt for my niece that we both love. It says: “I’m done adulting, let’s go to Disney”! She gets compliments every time she wears it, probably along with some ‘oh yes’ moments!
Find your recess time. On your commute home one day, veer off your regular route and discover something new. Stop by a park, sit on a swing, and see how high you can go. Sing out loud with your favorite tunes. And dance! I often pick up Caylee, the Zen puppy, and dance when Keith Urban sings to us 😊. How about leaving a puzzle sitting out? Stop for a few minutes throughout your day and find a couple of pieces. Grab a board game to play with your partner or family after dinner. What about drawing or coloring? Make some new artwork for your adult fridge door!
Spend some time at a bookstore and find a joke book that you can leave out and enjoy a quick laugh before you have to do something adult. Play chase with your partner, then start a pillow fight; who knows where that might lead? If you have a kitty or a pooch, play with them and their toys; you’ll both get a tail-wagging rush. Take your lunch outside and enjoy a beautiful day.
Don’t forget the seasonal things. Fall into a pile of raked leaves. Go sledding, build a fort and have a snowball fight! Run through your sprinklers. Lay on your back in the grass and notice the cloud shapes. Walk thru the rain and get totally soaked. Splash through puddles. Be silly. Be a kid again. Tell corny jokes!
Don’t think about what you ‘should’ be doing; enjoy your free time, smile, and giggle about playing hookey from your chores and adult life for a few minutes. Let everything else also have a recess... the planning, thinking, stressing about whatever. Just enjoy your moments of playtime. Become immersed in those moments. See everything. Feel everything. And especially, don’t judge yourself. It’s ok to be silly and have some old-fashioned fun playtime at any age. Don’t worry about what others think. They should be jealous and happy that you are having fun! While you’re at it, you might find that old swagger again that I muse about in an earlier blog here.
How can you play more?
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