Even dark times are comprised of playful elements. To make space for laughter and joy, particularly when things are difficult, helps us get to the other side of whatever we may be going through.
Animals are great teachers of playfulness. I have two cats and one of them is still a kitten. All he cares about is play. He likes to eat and sleep but play is his top priority. It’s his full-time job. He finds things that he turns into toys: binder clips, feathers, bottle caps, lint. He explores, hides, runs, jumps and nibbles.
When we encounter play in others we are reminded of our own capacity for fun. Skilled doctors will often prescribe play to their stressed and over-worked patients. And since our culture is so hyper-focused on productivity we need these reminders.
We need permission because we’ve severed our connection to the childhood self. He/she loved to spend time getting lost in a game and rarely worried about missing a text or checking e-mail. Our priorities were different.
Returning to who we were takes practice; the pressure we feel in our daily lives becomes a great distraction. As we re-create the relationship with the young part of us, we can ask what it likes and get to know it all over again. We can ask the intuitive, sensitive, mischievous child to lead the way.