The importance of play

When was the last time you did something childlike?  Has it been a long time since you did something silly on purpose?  I have found that, as an adult, behaving like a child can be extremely beneficial.

It comes naturally to me and I don't think I have ever ceased to play during any given week.  But even during the many years that I have dealt with depression and engaging in such things seemed futile, I have done it anyway. I recall just going through the motions and feeling nothing but grayness but somehow I knew instinctively to not give it up.

This week, during spring rains, many mud puddles arrived. On my walk, one in particular cried out for a boat. I found a piece of tree bark and a leaf. I can identify neither, as my efforts at tree i.d. have failed for years. But I need not know the origin of my boat parts in order to have fun. The stem of the leaf would not stay in the wee nook of the bark, so I wedged a tiny twig in there and that did the trick. The wind actually took my boat across the 'pond' in a heartbeat. I was thrilled.

There are hundreds of ways to play like a child. When I could not drive a few years back, and barely had the energy to hold up my head as someone else drove me to my medical appointments, my play involved my imagination only. I played the game I discovered when I was 6 or 7 years old - bored on a long car ride, I watched the telephone poles go by. I enjoyed gazing at the up and down loopy sway of the wires as they whizzed by. Before I realized it, I had envisioned an agile sprite or elf or playful creature who sometimes ran along the line and sometimes vaulted over each high pole. My, that figure could get up some real speed! Way back then, I could hardly have imagined that the game would return to serve me in my late 50s.

I made a snow person this winter. No child around except me.

I made my own playdough from my Kindergarten recipe (how did I remember THAT from so long ago?) and loved the squishy feel of it between my fingers.  Blobby statues sat, drying out, on the windowsill.

I played with a stink bug who took winter refuge in my computer room. I put a bit of paper down for her to crawl on and each time she made it to the end of the paper, I flipped it so she could wander on the other side.

Dozens of other playtimes have lightened my days. I feel very different both during play and after. I am focused on the simple enjoyment of my task. Worries temporarily fly away. And afterwards, my mind experiences the same rejuvenation that I feel after a good meditation.  Actually, even more so, as I feel I have been 'sneaking in' some behavior that we, as adults, are not encouraged to do. I felt as if I were cheating my drudgery day and getting away with it.

Can you take 5 minutes today to play? If it is unfamiliar to you, I hope you get addicted. It's a very healthy habit.

-GG