All year we’ve been talking about hidden programs, the heavy programming of struggle and how we unconsciously sabotage ourselves. We’ve done a lot of heavy lifting.
But it’s almost Summer, and I’m going to switch gears here and talk about playing. We get so wrapped up in all the things we HAVE to do: go to work, shop for groceries, raise our families, pay the taxes, pay the bills, bring our gifts and talents into the world and all that entails, etc. And in all the “shtuff” of life, we lose track of what is really important: Playing. It’s why we do everything we have to do!
When was the last time you really played? I’m not talking about going on vacation and flying or driving for thousands of miles to see something you’ve never seen before, or visiting friends and family – although that can be fun and if you are really playing it does count.
I’m talking about the kind of play that is relaxing, that is creative and fun. When was the last time you picked up a ball and played catch? When was the last time you took a walk or a hike through nature without watching the clock or fitting into your busy schedule – and then not being able to really enjoy it?
When was the last time you painted or drew just for the fun of it? When was the last time you laid on your back watching the clouds and identified animals or shapes and told stories about what you were seeing?
When was the last time you rode a horse or your bike just for fun? When was the last time you jumped rope or skipped, or played hop-scotch? When was the last time you hunted for rocks for your special rock collection?
We get so caught up in adult-type activities – and yes, those are fun, too. But playing all-out like a kid can really get your creative juices flowing! As we age we really do forget how to just PLAY! When that happens, our lives start to get stale and rigid. And we get burned out.
When we play, our minds relax, we release feel-good hormones that take us out of the stress mode of fight, flight or freeze, and we begin to rewire our brains and our bodies for creation. When we move our bodies and our minds in creative play, we bring blood and oxygen and joy back into our bodies and minds.
Do you remember staring out the window and day-dreaming? Why not try it again? What can you begin to imagine that will make you feel fabulous and raise your creative powers? What would you like to see happen in the near or far future that you can begin to visualize for yourself? See how detailed and how in depth you can visualize what you want by engaging all your senses – smell, vision, taste, touch, hearing, sensing.
Find a swing that you can swing on and pump your legs so that you are flying through the air! Feel as the wind as it blows against your face and hair and how your stomach swoops as you rise and fall with the swing. It’s a glorious feeling of freedom that you never get any other place!
Break out the lawn hose and the sprinklers, and run through them over and over like you are a kid. Your neighbors will think you’ve lost it, but if you can let go and do it with abandon, I think you’ll find that it’s just as much fun as you remembered. You can reconnect to that child within that is yearning to make himself or herself known.
It’s time to un-complicate our lives and spend time with ourselves just playing for the fun of it. It’s time to feel the earth, the grass, the sand under our bare feet, to feel the sun on our faces, arms and legs, to let the breeze blow against our hair and skin and revel in the sensations!
This week, make a play date for yourself. Get a box of crayons or finger paints and create like a kid! Dance, laugh, giggle, squeal, jump, run, walk, crawl, rest, and play like you’re a kid again. You’re going to love it!
You’re going to LOVE what comes next even more! Make it a weekly date and see how quickly your joy-factor rises. Watch how much more relaxed you feel and how many creative ideas arise.
It’s time to play, because playing equals creativity. We manifest from our creative places, so if we don’t know how to play and have fun, we have trouble creating what we desire most.
Let me know how your play dates go. I’d love to hear from you about how much fun you’re having and how those fun times are opening up the rest of your life! Email me your stories and let me know if I can share them in my next newsletter. You might just be an inspiration to others!
Here’s to a really FUN summer! Tag you’re it!
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