As adults, I think we have a serious problem.
We don’t play enough.
We get so caught up in what we should be doing, in worrying what other people think, in “adulting”, that months (and even years) go by and we haven’t really had a whole lot of fun.
I was recently reminded by Brene Brown just how important the concept of play really is. In her research, she found that people who truly live “all in” – people who are in the arena and not in the cheap seats- actually incorporate play into their lives. They have fun and goof off.
Play is defined as engaging in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.
Did everyone just hyperventilate a little? Time without purpose????
This is hard in today’s society because play is often viewed as something for children. That if we, as adults, take VALUABLE time and do nothing, it’s a waste. Women, especially, are guilty of this.
But that’s wrong.
We’ve become TOO invested in the hustle. It’s time to remaster the art of slowing down and enjoying life.
We shouldn’t feel bad when we spend an entire afternoon immersed in a book.
We shouldn’t feel bad when we binge 4 (okay, 5) episodes of our favorite show in a row.
But we do. We somehow have become a society where it’s not okay to be still. We have to go 100 miles a minute ALL. THE. TIME.
We forget that it’s okay to have a day of frivolous activity. I mean, when was the last time you were just absolutely ridiculous with some friends? With your partner? With your family?
Do you know what I just did?
This past weekend I spent a day at Disneyland without my children. My awesome friend Andrea partnered with them so she could write a post and let me tag along. (Seriously, she’s the best!)
We were there from 9:30 am until 10:30 pm. Nothing had purpose. Nothing was an absolute MUST DO. We had no schedule. We giggled and gabbed the entire day. Sometimes the conversation was serious but most of the time, it was silly and fun.
It was absolutely amazing. I mean, I bought rose gold mouse ears! And I was interrogated by Darth Vader. It’s hard to top a day like that.
Did I miss my kids? Of course I did. But this was good for me. I needed the break, the change of pace.
Can I do stuff like this every day? Of course not. I have a job that has to get done, and a lot of adulting (insert clean house, groceries, pay bills etc) to do on a daily basis. But we can all fit in a little fun each week – both with our families on our own.
We all need more play. It’ll make us better human beings. And that is something I am totally here for.
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