Playing

“Can I go outside and play in the snow?” my granddaughter asked. “Sure,” I replied. “Are your sisters going with you?”

Her sisters wanted to stay indoors but she was happy to go out on her own. The pristine snow in our backyard was soon marked with tracks as she jumped and played in her private winter wonderland.

When I next looked out she was making a snow angel. The grin on her face was huge. I turned to my husband and said, “When I look at her I see pure joy.”

The joy came from being free to play. There were no rules to follow. She could just have fun.

It made me wonder about the last time I did something just for the pleasure it would bring. To be free to play and not care what anyone else might think. As the famous quote says, “Dance like nobody’s watching.”

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood many of us have forgotten how to play. There is no reason life always has to be taken so seriously. Let’s give ourselves permission to play with the joyful abandon of a child.
Life is full of exciting adventures. It’s time to be spontaneous and get out there and enjoy!

“You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Plato