Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Rx: More PLAY for stringplay


Late last week I was in a bit of a funk and I knew that it could all be chalked up to a lack of play. I don't consider that I spend a lot of time "goofing off" (although some might disagree), but I do spend usually some part of every day in some creative pursuit, generally involving string.

When everyday chores crowd in too much and leave me no time for play, I can get a little grumpy. Reading blogs, I see that I am not alone.

There is usually just enough time in a week to get everything that has to be done done and still leave a bit of time for stringplay. Christmas comes along with all the extra things to be done and places to go and people to see and stringplay quickly takes a back seat.

Whenever I get to feeling really pushed and out of sorts I can generally step back and see that it's clearly a matter of not getting, what to me is completely necessary, downtime, a time for the hands to be busy but the mind to be freed to relax and roam and ponder. I'm big on pondering.


This was confirmed and reinforced in a podcast I only recently listened to - an interview with Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play (no, I'm not kidding).

some scattered snippets from the podcast:

---Think of your earliest emotion-laden memories - what gave you joy? That will point to your innate talent.
---Look at the lives of highly successful people (musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs). They LOVE what they do and it is PLAY to them because they enjoy doing it so much.
---When you feel stuck, it is a clue to start playing.
---An active play life is a quality of a healthy individual.
---No play in adulthood has many consequences including the inability to cope in a world of many demands.
---A playful life contributes greatly to the capacity to approach and solve the complexities of life's problems.

Are you tired and stressed a bit this holiday season? Step back and PLAY awhile and I'll bet you start to feel lots better. I know I sure do!

3 comments:

K Spoering said...

Love your shawl! And a quote from Miss Read... whom I also enjoy escaping with.
My favorite play is to go to a park and swing on the swings - HIGH! My husband often is fearful that I'll wrap around the top bar, as I go so high. I loved it as a kid and recently decided that, as a grandma, I can swing if I want to. It's exhilarating!

Mary said...

Thanks for the advice! I'll be carrying it with me today as I rush around.

Sheri said...

I totally agree! Play is wonderful.