More Play, Please
The universe is telling me to play more.
I stumbled upon this quote by Ester Perel in an email newsletter and it's been echoing in my head ever since:
Modern loneliness is all about being hyper-connected but not really having anyone to call for cat-sitting, you know? Back in the day, kids were all about free play on the streets. They had this whole social dance figured out—fighting, making rules, breaking up, making up—all without an adult hovering over them. They were building these incredible social skills, like muscles almost. And now? It seems like most kids are missing out on that, glued to screens instead.
I can't shake off how much the idea of play has been popping up lately. Ben Crowe has mentioned it a number of times in his podcast and newsletters, Hamish Blake's adventures keep bringing it back. Rick Rubin mentions it in his book, too, and yeah, I'm pretty sure I heard Perel drop that quote on the Diary of a CEO podcast. Could all this play-talk be a sign?
For me, play has always been about ditching the serious stuff and embracing pure, joyful curiosity. Like, remember when kids used to just run around outside, making up their own games, fighting over sticks, and forming lifelong friendships in the process? Now, with screens ruling playtime, those "social muscles" are likely getting pretty weak.
One of my kiddos is basically a wizard when it comes to imagination. He's out there crafting whole universes, languages, and the kind of art that pulls you into another dimension. He's got this knack for rallying the troops into his world of make-believe, and it's something else to see them all so wrapped up in it. Sure, half the time it's like he's speaking another language, but the passion and stories behind each creation? Pure gold.
It's been a nice reminder that not everything's got to be so gosh darn serious. All this buzz around the importance of play feels like the universe nodding along with me (hello there, confirmation bias, my old buddy).
So, here's the game plan: dive deeper into playfulness, curiosity, and openness. Life's too short to stay on the sidelines. Let's make play a priority, shall we? Sounds like a plan to me.
I wholeheartedly agree Nick :).
My sister has just started back at the gym, it has a playroom for the kids. My niece is pretty good at playing on her own, but sometimes she just wants to know someone else is around. But there are often no other kids in the play room with her, because they are sitting in their prams or on chairs in front of devices.
I've also seen parents out walking with their kids in the pram watching a device instead of looking at what's around them.
When I took my nephew hiking at Gibratar peak, the more we walked the more we saw his playfullness come out. He asked me, if I was a tree and I could be anywhere in the world, where would I want to be. I still don't know my answer to this question haha.
This is so timely! At run training the other day, the coach also talked about how child-like playfulness can improve your running. Helps so much with balance and proprioception apparently. So get out there and climb trees, balance on logs, scramble through some fences... have fun! 💥