“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw
Whenever I change my environment, I always return home to a revelation about my life. Now that I’ve readjusted to being in New York after visiting with friends in Mykonos (Greece), I realize that I’ve had another epiphany.
We don’t prioritize playtime.
While away, I had time to have fun in the sand with several of my besties. It didn’t matter that the Aegean winds of up to 35 mph seriously messed with our patience, hair and clothing.
With absolutely no structure to our days, my playmates and I gave in to the untamable winds and walked, did cartwheels, and danced on the beach. Playing felt fantastic – we giggled like children!
Play is a creative act. It releases endorphins, the body’s natural “happy” chemicals responsible for making us feel joy.
My social time in Manhattan is often made up of commitments that involve structure – things like meeting friends for meals, drinks, movies, concerts, and lectures. Due to everyone’s career and family responsibilities, there is very little unstructured playtime.
When I was in grade school, my neighborhood pals – Steven, Frank, and Joe – and I would meet each morning during summer break. The first thing we did was determine what game we would play that day.
After a group consensus, we would begin a game of hide-and-seek, spies, or Batman. Using our imaginations, we played out these games for many hours. And we giggled – a lot.
Our capitalistic society values productivity. Unlike childhood play, which is respected, adult play is generally perceived as unproductive unless it is competitive. Therefore, adult play tends to be dismissed.
You can’t place a value on joy.
That’s all from me today. I take my revelations seriously. I’m heading out to meet a friend in one of the best playgrounds in the world. 😉
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I throughly enjoyed this post Jasmine. The quote by GBS is one that resonates with me. I’ve had a 30+ career in the competitive media sales industry where I was consumed with work. For the past 2+ years I’ve done some limited consulting, but mostly enjoying the simple things in life. Lingering over a second cup of coffee on the deck as I read the paper, binge watching Netflix, playing golf 2-3x’s per week and late afternoons on the beach midweek! Playing , laughing and being silly keep you young! Cartwheels are next! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Michael. I’m happy that my experience resonated with you.
As a musician, I actually have regular play time with my group. So I can tell you from experience that this is a truly profound and necessary thing. You are focused on the right and most important events of life Jasmine!
Thank you Bill. I share my experiences with the hope that they will inspire others to create a greater level of well-being for themselves.
Brilliant and so true.
I’m happy that you agree Ron. Once we know it, we need to live it. Easier said than done. We need to help one another. This is how we change our world.