I’ve been asked if we can add joy into our lives even at times like these? Yes! Play is a door to joy, connection, and learning and growing throughout our lifetime. It is just as important for adults as it is for children. It is great to have access to play as it can help us:
- relax and feel more at ease
- gain perspective
- problem solve and be more creative
- connect with joy, nature, ourselves, and others
- and more
Play can happen anywhere whether we are working, at home, or in the middle of a serious project and even in difficult times. It is up to you when and where you will use it. But what about difficult times, should we play? Difficult times are one of the most important times to play and gain some of the benefits I mention above.
Play is a tool to use here or there, when it works for you, and the others in your life. Play for some is weeding, a walk in the woods, baking, building a business, improv, writing a book, creating a painting, designing a building, helping a customer, presenting a workshop, etc., or playing with blocks as a three-year-old might. I think of play with a broad brush.
If you wish to add more joy into your life you might try a play hunt. Simply be aware of play as you travel your world. At the end of the day, you might ask yourself these questions:
- When were you involved in play?
- When did you or another extend an invitation to play? If offered an invitation, did you accept it? Why or why not?
- What do you or did you find playful?
That’s it just put your focus on play. If you want to go further, you might:
- Write or record what you noticed in a daily or weekly journal, list it on a calendar, or share it with someone in your life at the end of the day.
- Continue your play hunt to a life-long practice or some other period of time of your preference.
Enjoy the stories and have a playful day,
Mary
PS. This is the fourteenth blog post in my thirty-one day challenge on joy.
