Day 9: Play

Day 9: Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Yesterday I hammered down on my pedals and climbed up several hills on my bike.  My lungs were hungry as I sucked in the open air.  Fields to my left, fields to my right; 51 shades of green.  Once I reached the hill’s apex, I sat back in my saddle and sailed as fast as my wheels would twirl.  My breathing returned to normal, but my heart continued to hammer behind my ribs.  Adrenaline.  Riding my bike is fun. 

Today I am very thankful for play.

Play doesn’t mean what it used to; or does it?  Broken down to simplest form, play means to have fun.  

It all started with Peek-a-boo.  We smiled and giggled as babies with the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t game in its most embryonic state.

Then we grow up.  And Peek-a-boo becomes hide-and-go-seek.

We played Ring around the Rosie.  Little girls love to play with hair, kids play dress-up, and grown up.  They play house, doctor (scandalous), teacher (I was one of them), store, GI-Joe, Barbies, cops and robbers and they play music.   They play on computers (a lot … and so do I). As adults we might play a sport, an instrument, cards and games, billiards or you can play the part (this is another blog entirely).  Maybe we role-play.  We might play with words and we play with meaning, and all the while when we play we are (conscious or not) constructing our reality out of fun.

I don’t remember who said it; perhaps it was Anthony Robbins, “we usually find what we are looking for.”  Ha – I just googled it and this is where it came from originally.  Fun can be colorless and it can be odorless (not if it's a fart, which many find incredibly fun) and it can be silent (refer to last comment).  It can also be every color of the crayon box, stink like rotten eggs, and roar like thunder.

So, my challenge is simple.  Go make some fun.