<\/p>\n
The other day, I overheard Penny say to a friend, “Let’s
\nplay categories.” <\/p>\n
The friend said, “What?”<\/p>\n
“Categories.” Penny looked to me for help. <\/p>\n
I explained, “In our family we play a game called
\ncategories, where we pick something–like colors or books or things that go–and
\nthen list as many of those things as we can in a row.” All of a sudden I felt a
\nlittle self-conscious as it struck me that even the games I play with my
\nchildren are on the serious side. One of Penny’s other favorites is “words.”
\nShe makes a request: “Say words, Mom.” Which means that I come up with as many
\nthree or four-syllable words as I can, and she repeats them back to me. “Arugula.”
\n“Deciduous.” “Invertebrate.” “Ontological.” No, really, we have loads of fun around here. <\/p>\n
Later that day, I looked out my kitchen window. We live on
\nthe campus of a boarding school, and I saw a student hiding behind a tree. The
\ncampus was in the midst of “Splash,” an annual event in which every participant
\ntries to douse another player with water and thus eliminate him\/her from the
\ngame. I would never have played in high school. I wouldn’t play now. It
\nwouldn’t be fun for me. It would feel like a waste of time. It would feel
\nstressful to think of how easily I could lose. <\/p>\n
But as I watched the kid out my window, waiting for his
\ntarget to emerge, I smiled. I loved his ability to disregard other
\nresponsibilities and obligations and simply wait, attentive only to the moment.<\/p>\n
We still play categories. I’m still at my best as a mom when
\nwe’re reading on the couch or writing letters or talking about school. But I’m
\ntrying to learn the value of play, of experiencing the joy of the present
\nmoment, of catching a glimpse of eternity by delighting in right now. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The other day, I overheard Penny say to a friend, “Let’s play categories.” The friend said, “What?” “Categories.” Penny looked to me for help. I explained, “In our family we play a game called categories, where we pick something–like colors or books or things that go–and then list as many of those things as we…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family"],"yoast_head":"\n