We hire people to train our physical #muscles, spend a fortune on fancy gears, leggings and stuff, I know as I am one of them. Yet, we are so reluctant to #pay for someone to help us train our #playful muscle, which is as essential as any other muscle.
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There is no playful muscle; it's just an emotion, an activity that is mainly related to children and us adults don't need it, I hear you say. Seriousness is what adults do, not play. Yes, yes, but then again, we pay a fortune to see others play or the outcome of play: #artists, #creators, #actors, #musicians, #designers.... You get my drift. So I started to think why there is so much resistance to play.
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Firstly, we tend to think that only special people play and the vast majority doesn't have this quality. I certainly felt that even when I was playful in my early adult life, I didn't notice it at that time.
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Secondly, seriousness is valued, paid, wanted and rewarded in our society, so there are few incentives to tap into playfulness ( I know we have Boris as a clown in charge of a nation, but he is not playful ).
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Thirdly, when we play, we step into the unknown, we will most probably suck at it, and mistakes will be made. And my dear Lord Jesus, that is not what we want. Do we?! Sometimes we will feel embarrassed; people will #laugh at us.
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Fourthly, even if we know the benefits of play: #creativity, #joyfulness, #connection, emotional release, #recharging batteries, becoming #flexible and good at navigating the ever-changing life, we think it is best done alone, behind closed doors, just like masturbation. We just want the benefits but don't want to know how you achieve them.
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So here I am telling you to throw all these beliefs into the rubbish bin. Find out what play means to you; there are myriad ways of playing. Embrace it. If you haven't played in a while, you might need a trainer and a group of people to be inspired by. Go out and find your own explanation on what play means to you, don't listen to me. There are many books to read about it. Email me if you want a list of them. I know a few masters in play such as: kids, Liz Peters, Dani Tonks, Osho, Kevin Davidson and our dog Sushi. Check them out; Sushi's rates are in hugs, treats and company.
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Oh, and one more thing. If you find the right master of play for you, pay them well (if you can afford it); they are worth it and needed more than ever.
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Playfully, Nora
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