DOING THIS ONE THING CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Louise L. Hay, 1926-2017

Play.

That's right. Play each day!

What is play exactly. 

A Google search defined it as:
verb
1. engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.
"The children were playing outside" synonyms: amuse oneself, entertain oneself, enjoy oneself, have fun;
2. take part in (a sport). "I play softball and tennis" synonyms: take part in, participate in, be involved in, compete in, do "I used to play hockey"

noun
1. activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children. "a child at play may use a stick as an airplane" synonyms: amusement, entertainment, relaxation, recreation, diversion, distraction, leisure;
2. the conducting of an athletic match or contest.

Yet that's not the play I'm talking about. 

We, as a culture, often think that play is going out for a few drinks with friends. Or attending a large party event. Going to a movie perhaps. Or shopping, that can be a form of play.

I'm talking about the kind of play that rejuvenates the soul and makes life less serious. I don't think we, as a culture, play in this way, enough. Why do we need to be children to play like a child?

To me, play is a spontaneous event, a playful nature in what you're doing. It involves a variety of physical movement and mental acuity that keeps our bodies strong and flexibly, and our minds working well. We stay young at heart. 

For example, children can play at a park structure endlessly. I remember following my children around the park structures. They climb up and down the structures. They walk across make-believe bridges. They toss the autumn leaves into a small stream running through the park, then run to follow it along it's path until it hits the pond. They scoop it out of the pond, run to the top of the stream, and do it again and agin. They scoop sand and create magic castles. They hid behind things and pop out to scare you. They throw things, splash in water, laugh out loud, and often have friends, or imaginary friends with them. Children don't have to think about how to play, they just play. They have an attitude of play throughout their days.

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Louise L. Hay, aka Louise Play 1926-2017

Why don't we play like children? 

The spontaneity of play gets us out of our heads, into our bodies and into the moment at hand. Play uses our whimsical and creative nature as we do whatever comes to mind. It's unstructured, free-flowing and relaxing. It provides functional movement - these are movements that use a variety of muscles and keep you fit throughout your life. They are movements you want to be able to do even when you reach the age of 104. Play helps with balance and stamina, and allows us to do all the tasks we want to do throughout our lives on this planet. Play feels joyful, and we want to laugh out loud! It's contemplative as well; as we create our moments, we are building pathways in our brains that nurture our souls. 

Obviously, children don't have the financial worries and responsibilities that we do as we grow into adults. So they spent their entire days learning through play.

As adults, I believe we have a couple of ways that we can play. 

1. In whatever we are doing, we can adopt an attitude of play. Find ways to make life fun. Even when we're sitting in a corporate meeting or taking emptying the garbage cans for a grocery store, we can find ways to make it fun. We need to adopt an attitude of playfulness, and see how to create each moment. 
2. We also need to take time to go outside and play, all year long. Being in nature and the elements is good for our souls, and the agility of our bodies. The hormetic stress (intermittent, mild stress) we get from exposing our bodies to heat, cold, wind, rain, sun, etc. stimulates or up-regulates our cells and molecular pathways to improve the capacity of our cells and organisms to withstand greater stress. So that if greater stress inadvertently comes along, our bodies can readily respond. Low levels of intermittent stress keep us fit.

Let's get out and play today. 

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