“Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day.” – Melody Beattie (“Finding Your Way Home”)
In our busy society today, we are all too caught up with our daily rush, and weighed down with endless work and tons of worries. In other words, we have no time to play and enjoy life. We have neglected in developing and nurturing our authentic selves.
“We spend too much time living in the ‘what if’ and need to learn to live in the ‘what is.’ – Rev. Leroy Allison
As Roman poet Ovid said: “In our play, we reveal what kind of people we are”. We have forgotten that the element of fun and play are supposed to be a regular feature of our lives. These days, if we can afford to have to have so-called fun is only reserved for occasional vacations or hopefully wait till your retirement days.
Yes, play is part of our lives. In fact, according to studies, play is a big part in the development of social, emotional, mental and physical growth for children; and it should be still part of our adult life. Play acts as a balance to our ever busy life. It encourages us to find time for daily laughs. But many of us treat fun is only for the young or some kind of child’s play.
Play encourages creativity and promotes interaction with others. When you are immersed in the fun, playing, you lose sight of yourself, your time and your life for the moment. In other words, you are living in the present moment when you are having fun.
Play could be a physical or creative activity. Both types of play can satisfy our need for fun, exploration and curiosity.
By avoiding having fun in life, we are actually neglecting and ignoring our bodies. The irony is those who are not happy their body size and shape, they end up spending a great deal of time, effort (not fun) and money trying to lose those extra pounds.
As we all know, to live a balanced life, we should take care of both our mind and body simultaneously. For the mind, we can do puzzles, play card and board games, or involve in hobbies or arts and crafts. As for our body, we can engage in outdoor games, sports or activities to sweat it out. All these should be done in the name of fun; and not some kind boring or regimented tasks.
“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” – Iris Murdoch
One great way of getting fun back into your life, is to watch and learn from kids, when they are having fun; laughing, giggling, screaming, and frolicking. They throw caution to the wind and run in wild abandon. They live their lives with full passion, without any inhibition. You will notice that play is fulfilling and energizing.
To quote Alfred Souza: “Dance as though no one is watching you; love as though you have never been hurt before, sing as though no one can hear you, live as though heaven is on earth.” You should let your hair down, all hang out and live life to the fullest.
What I am trying to say is to put some fun and play back into your life. If you have zest for life, you will never neglect fun and play. Let loose and chill out. As actress Katharine Hepburn said: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”
Give yourself the time to play and have fun, laugh your head off, smile silly all day long or enjoy the simple pleasure in life. It is time to rediscover the child in you who once had passion for life and curiosity for everything around you. Be creative and be physical. Be a free spirit and live a happier and fulfilled life of endless fun. It is time to play again.
“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.”
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