I'm gonna be straight with you because, well, you know, that's how I roll. I'm feeling poopy today. I was thinking about what to write, and I remembered I wanted to write about play. But I thought I might be too grumpy to write about play. Then I thought about writing about beer because, boy, I'd love a beer. Then I remembered that I can't really afford beer, and we don't have any homebrew right now. So that seemed kind of sad.

Buck up, Buttercup!

Guess what? Grumpy time is the perfect time to play. Writing is play for me. Making beer is play for me. I gotta pull myself on up out of this funk. Sometimes you just gotta fake it till you make it. I believe in letting myself feel how I feel, and well, there's some stress in my life right now, but I don't believe in sitting here rolling around in my funky funky.

What is Play?

People think of play as something for children, and if you have ever read anything at all I have written about kids or education, you know I firmly believe in the power and necessity of play for children. Kids learn by playing. They learn how to communicate, interact, become adults, problem solve, resolve conflict, be imaginative, be kind, and discover their passions just for starters. I don't think anything is more important than what's on that list.

So, does growing up mean playtime is over?! No, no it does not. What you play may change. Then again it may not. When I was a kid, my favorites were Barbies, Lincoln Logs, and outside. I don't really like playing Barbies anymore. It's not that I'm opposed to them. I just don't have access to that part of my imagination anymore. It makes me kind of sad. Lulu says I'm still good at Barbies, but she's just trying to get me to play what she wants. I do still love Lincoln Logs and being outside, though. I can still throw down at the park.

By digging just a bit we can understand a bit more about what play really is. When you watch kids playing, you can see they are totally and completely immersed. Sometimes I have to yell loudly to get my kids to even hear me when they are playing intensely. I remember my mom regularly saying, "Kristin! I have been calling your name for five minutes!! What in the world?!" No matter what kind of play, that is a common thread. Total and complete immersion.

So ask yourself, what is it you do that you fully lose yourself in? What are the things you do that cause you to totally lose all sense of time? Those are your play. The list changes over time, and nothing works all the time. Dancing is almost always a good one for me, though. Sometimes I have to talk myself into play, like today. Just a little ways into writing, and I am already feeling better. I love that feeling when the writing starts to flow. I feel a lot better, even though my situation has not changed at all.

Me and my girl cooking together

Making beer is another one for me. I love the magical creation of it. In fact the entirety of the kitchen is wonderful for me. I love creating and gifting people with deliciousness. I used to love knitting. Maybe I will pick that up again, although I live in the tropics now. Outside is always good for me. Wandering through the jungle is fun. I love listening to and watching the animals. We are also blessed with an abundance of water here - we have river and sea. And, oh gosh, sandcastles!! Do you love sandcastles too? They're so much fun. I used to really love hula hoop. I haven't done that in a few years. Maybe I'll make another one. That slack line @mountainjewel was on looked pretty fun as well.

The jungle taking over the ancient Mayan temples. I love wandering in these spaces.

In fact, once you're in the groove, anything can be play. Have you ever turned on the radio and danced through chores? That's what I'm talking about. Just because the kitchen needs to be cleaned, that doesn't mean you have to drudge through it. Your play places are the things that really drop you into that blissed out state, but once you're there, you can ride it through almost any task.

Holy crap that worked so well!

I did not really expect to feel so much better. Just writing and thinking about my play spaces way improved my mood. Now I am going to go dance while making dinner and then make beer and cookies. A saison, I think.

Tell me what works for you?

Have you figured out what your plays spaces are? Share them with me! What really gets you flowing and glowing? I want to know all about it. Then go do it!