Play, playing, playfulness ... What do these words mean to you?
Play is crucial in our lives.
I am late writing SNIPPETS because I was PLAYING pickleball this morning, and I didn't get around to writing this issue earlier in the week because I am at the Jersey Shore PLAYING: beach sitting, mini-putting, bike riding, pup walking, boardwalking, pickleballing - and yes, I am working, too. I am good at mixing it up, balancing work and play. Since I work for myself at home, I work when I want to, any hour of the day or night.
My cousin Jeanie wrote to me in an email yesterday, "You are blessed with the Libra ability to balance work and play - I need some of that!"
Amen, Jeanie, we ALL need some of that! A balance of work and play, a break from obligations and duties and housework and yard work and parenting and any tough situations we're trying to manage. A balance of playfulness and seriousness.
Albert Einstein said, "Play is the highest form of research." I like that!
So go play. You don't have to wait until the weekend or plan an entire vacation to play. Even if you work a 60-hour week, play can be a 10-minute romp with your dog, a brief dance in the kitchen with your honey (Ken and I do this!), a ball-tossing session with your kid or grandkid, teasing the kitty with string, chatting 5 minutes on the phone, swinging on the swing set (whatever age you are!) playing tennis or guitar, taking a walk after dinner, coloring or crafting, playing a game on your phone, riding your bike, or doing your favorite hobby.
Riding my bike always makes me feel like an 8-year-old ... since it was a childhood activity, that's where my playful brain goes when I hop on it.
What or who brings out the PLAY in you? Take cues from kids and dogs - now they KNOW how to play. It is the absolute first thing they do when they wake up ... begin playing!
Playfulness is important, too - what is playfulness? Whereas play is the act of playing, playfulness is the quality of being lively and fun, looking at things in an entertaining way, seeing the bright side and not being so serious 100% of the day. Let's keep our sense of humor, snippeteers, in most scenarios.
We can josh around with each other, "flirt" with people (not in a weird way - just talking and kidding around or complimenting someone). I like being playful with people, to see who returns the playfulness, to get someone to open up, to get a smile out of that face, and to help someone feel SEEN that day.
So don't forget to play and be playful. Laugh. Chuckle. Guffaw. Snicker. Smile! We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
Go play!
