I think as adults we've forgotten how to play. How to just play. There are jobs to go to. Partners, pets and kids to tend to, bills to be paid. There is housework to be done and family obligations that take up any free time. When we do make time for ourselves, it's usually for things we know we need to do like working out at the gym. That isn't playing. When I finish I working out, I know that I did something good for my body but I never finish my treadmill workout thinking "Wow! That was so much fun!"
This was a long weekend that was filled with things that needed to be done. We did a deep clean of our closet and spent time with the baby, making sure she was happy as we try to teach her to be a well-adjusted, well-rounded individual. We grocery shopped and did chores around the house. As we collapsed together on the sofa last night I looked at my husband and said "You know what? We forgot to do something this weekend."
L turned to me and said, "Impossible. We did everything on the list."
"Yeah, we did everything on the list but we didn't have fun. We need an extra day of the weekend now to just play."
That's the problem. We pack our weeks and especially our weekends full of things that we are supposed to do and by Sunday night we are wiped out and not energized for another work week. After realizing last night that we were both so exhausted from a weekend of chores, I vowed that next weekend we would book time just for play. We wouldn't think about whether it was educational for the baby or whether we would get the garage cleaned out. Next weekend, and every weekend after we would book time just for us to play as a family. I think we need that time to relax and laugh just as much as we need food. water, air and sleep to survive. With play added in, then we thrive.
So, whether it's rolling around the floor with your favorite person or animal, coloring or building a snow fort, this week make time to breathe and play. And laugh. How can you not feel happy when you feel like a kid again?
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