Morning conversations with my mom….
Today my mom looked up at me and said; you know what…when kids are younger, they can’t wait to go out into the world and be on their own, but they soon realize that being an adult is hard, and we need each other.” You see, my mom lives with me; she is bedridden and needs 24-hour care, but this morning she was alert and dishing out wisdom. Of course, she is right, isn’t that the case for most people who have many years of living experience. We can’t wait to grow up, and then we spend our adult years working towards retirement just so we can play again when we could’ve been playing all along.
In fact, playing is something we should be doing every day. Stuart Brown, M.D, in his book Play, explains, ” when we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity, the truest expression of our individuality.” If it is true that most people put off playing, does that mean we are also putting off how we connect with one another? Sometimes I think we’ve made playing too technical; something we have to plan for, spend money to do, or organize if we want to have a good time. But, when I think back, I remember playing as spontaneous, full of imagination, full of friends and laughter; it was something I didn’t want to stop doing.
I don’t think there is a finite definition for play, but I believe our bodies and minds know when we play. The same characteristics of childhood play remain true for adults. As kids, when we played
- We used our imagination; made up stories, games, friends, art…
- We socialized with friends, family, and even strangers…
- We moved our bodies, riding bikes, dancing, running and swimming …
- We celebrated everything, clapping, jumping up and down, yelling and screaming in delight at the littlest things…
- We shared stories and connected with people every day…
- We dreamed and created whatever we wanted…
No wonder playing is the purest expression of our humanity, the most authentic expression of our individuality. Play is something you do that you lose track of time, you feel revitalized; it doesn’t matter if it only lasts a few minutes or hours. As social human beings, we need to play; it connects us, fuels our creativity and imagination, builds strong social connections, and fills us with joy. For me, I feel more connected to myself and the people around me when I’m playing.
Take a moment each and every day to play……and thank you, mom, for today’s nugget of wisdom.