{"id":184,"date":"2013-06-23T10:57:16","date_gmt":"2013-06-23T10:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blessingsabound\/?p=184"},"modified":"2013-06-23T10:58:38","modified_gmt":"2013-06-23T10:58:38","slug":"remembering-how-to-play-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering How to Play"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;--><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>When was the last time you let yourself play?<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m not talking about sports.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re competitive and therefore the territory of adults.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Most games are competitive, too. I\u2019m talking about FUN!<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Dancing, twirling, skipping, hand-holding, giggling, make-believe\u2026.<span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Do you remember how to be a kid?<span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Many of us have been so immersed in adult responsibilities for so long that we can\u2019t even remember.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Or we\u2019re so entrenched in what is \u201crespectable,\u201d that we\u2019re embarrassed to be seen doing anything playful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">How can we gently allow ourselves to re-member how to play?<span>\u00a0 <\/span>(To \u201cre-member\u201d is to reattach something that was dismembered.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Many of us have detached from our childhood self and it may take some doing to re-attach or remember that part of ourselves.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Here are some suggestions:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 0in\" type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Take yourself to the local library or bookstore and browse through the kid section.<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let yourself re-read several books that were favorites when you were a kid.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Or choose some new ones that look interesting.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll gravitate toward \u201cmagical\u201d books \u2013 books about fairies and witches and elves.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>If you\u2019re like my friend, Kayt, you\u2019ll gravitate toward stories about cats, while Kim likes any book about horses.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>When I asked on Facebook \u201cWhat were your favorite books as a kid?\u201d I got a wealth of immediate and enthusiastic responses.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Several people mentioned <i>The Wind in the Willows, Little House on the Prairie, A Wrinkle in Time, Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, Treasure Island, Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstocking, Heidi, <\/i>and<i> Charlotte\u2019s Web<\/i>.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Reading these books may rekindle your childhood fantasies and may help your imagination be re-awakened \u2013 a crucial first step in recovering your sense of play.<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Start talking and playing with babies and children more.<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>When I see a baby \u2013 especially one which is being toted around in a carrier, I often try to engage her.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I feel sad when I see adults going about their business and not engaging the little one, who is often, due to his position in the carrier, left to look at boring ceilings and bright lights and people\u2019s legs.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I will often \u201cflirt\u201d with the baby.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just smiling at the little one often brings her to life.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Then I will start to play peek-a-boo.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I may never say the words \u201cPeek-a-boo,\u201d but I will look at the child and smile, then hide, then pop back up just a few inches away.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I love how quickly they catch on and play.<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Play with dogs and cats.<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>Get down on the floor at the pet\u2019s level and let them climb on you or lick you on the face.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Throw balls or Frisbees or sticks for the dogs.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Pull or dangle string or yarn for cats.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>They so love to play.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>And we are often so darn boring.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let yourself engage.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Animals will help you remember how to play.<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Lie outside on the grass and watch the clouds.<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just let yourself be in daydream mode for a while.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Look for shapes in the clouds.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Watch the birds and butterflies.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Feel the sun and the breeze.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>See if you can let yourself drift into a time of nothing to do, nothing to decide, nothing to figure out.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Believe me, we all need this kind of time.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>It is not good for us to be so driven all the time.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>We all need lazy do-nothing time.<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Take more naps.<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>You were \u201callowed\u201d to take naps when you were a kid.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sadly, it\u2019s not so much encouraged when we\u2019re adults.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>The other day a grown man, retired early in his \u201840\u2019s, sheepishly admitted to me that occasionally he took naps in the afternoon \u2013 often after long bike rides or hikes.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I felt sad that he felt embarrassed about taking a nap.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Naps are good!<span>\u00a0 <\/span>They let us drift away for a while, they let us dream, they help our conscious minds to rest so our subconscious minds can do their work (and play!)<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Get out some crayons or markers or watercolors.<\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0 <\/span>You don\u2019t have to be an artist to doodle.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just enjoy the colors.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Draw different shapes and make patterns.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Draw hearts or boxes or circles or spirals.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Draw trees and cats and dogs.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Draw balloons or stars or suns with rays.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Draw flowers and bugs and butterflies.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Or just lay down some color and then cut up the paper and make a collage with the pieces.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Don\u2019t try to make a masterpiece, just let yourself play.<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><i>Play dress-up.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Put on some costumes even though it\u2019s not Halloween. <\/i><\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span>Putting on someone else\u2019s clothes, or wearing a costume, or putting on a mask or some wings or even a different hat\u2026 all these things can help get you out of a rut and fast-track you into a different personality.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Be a superhero or a superstar.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Be a fairy or a bad guy or a Martian or a ghost.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Talk in a different voice.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Walk in a different way.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Enjoy being someone else for a while. <span>\u00a0<\/span>This is called play!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">What are your favorite things to do when you\u2019re not being responsible?<span>\u00a0 <\/span>What makes you laugh out loud?<span>\u00a0 <\/span>What makes you smile?<span>\u00a0 <\/span>What awakens your imagination?<span>\u00a0 <\/span>What helps you forget about your freakin\u2019 \u201cto do\u201d list?<span>\u00a0 <\/span>DO MORE OF ALL OF THIS!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Life was truly not meant to be so serious.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes it takes some effort to let go of the serious stuff and let yourself play, but do it, because JOY IS IMPORTANT!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Let your inner kid out to play.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019ll be oh so glad you did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When was the last time you let yourself play?\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about sports.\u00a0 They\u2019re competitive and therefore the territory of adults.\u00a0 Most games are competitive, too. I\u2019m talking about FUN!\u00a0 Dancing, twirling, skipping, hand-holding, giggling, make-believe\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you remember how to be a kid?\u00a0\u00a0 Many of us have been so immersed in adult responsibilities&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[157,63,118,82,119,156,155,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-child","category-dancing","category-delight","category-holding-hands","category-joy","category-laugh","category-play","category-rest"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Remembering How to Play - Blessings Abound<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remembering How to Play - Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When was the last time you let yourself play?\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about sports.\u00a0 They\u2019re competitive and therefore the territory of adults.\u00a0 Most games are competitive, too. I\u2019m talking about FUN!\u00a0 Dancing, twirling, skipping, hand-holding, giggling, make-believe\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you remember how to be a kid?\u00a0\u00a0 Many of us have been so immersed in adult responsibilities&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-06-23T10:57:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-06-23T10:58:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cgreb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Remembering How to Play - Blessings Abound","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Remembering How to Play - Blessings Abound","og_description":"When was the last time you let yourself play?\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about sports.\u00a0 They\u2019re competitive and therefore the territory of adults.\u00a0 Most games are competitive, too. I\u2019m talking about FUN!\u00a0 Dancing, twirling, skipping, hand-holding, giggling, make-believe\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you remember how to be a kid?\u00a0\u00a0 Many of us have been so immersed in adult responsibilities&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html","og_site_name":"Blessings Abound","article_published_time":"2013-06-23T10:57:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-06-23T10:58:38+00:00","author":"cgreb","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html","name":"Remembering How to Play - Blessings Abound","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-06-23T10:57:16+00:00","dateModified":"2013-06-23T10:58:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#\/schema\/person\/4672554c4db616f163f9590175024cb4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/06\/remembering-how-to-play-2.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Remembering How to Play"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/","name":"Blessings Abound","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Blessings Abound","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#\/schema\/person\/4672554c4db616f163f9590175024cb4","name":"cgreb","description":"Cynthia is a grateful, creative, spiritual, healer who has her hands in many interesting pots. 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