5 daily requirements of playful adulthood

I’ve been an advocate of adult play for many years. Since befriending Phil Porter, who co-founded InterPlay with Cynthia Winton-Henry, this advocacy took on new meaning for me. Today, I want to share a few resources that I think have potential for providing you with some of your daily requirements of play. I’ll suggest five easy things you can do (without buying anything, belonging to an organization, or even traveling) to start bringing more play into your day-to-day life.

Laugh

We adults can always stand to be more “serious” about laughing. We can giggle at the stuff life dishes up for us each day and sometimes, laugh even at ourselves. So much has been said about what good medicine humor and laughter are that I don’t really need to say more.

Move

So many of us spend so many hours either during the day, at night or both, seated and starting at a screen — whether it be TV, computer, pad device or smartphone. Get up. Go outside. Move around. If you want more, be gregarious about your movement or take a dance class.

Create

Creative time is play time. When we let our imaginations roam, we also encourage the playful part of ourselves. Or maybe its that when we let ourselves play we become more creative. Ah, who cares. Have fun!

Observe

Take in what you see. By observing, we can find other playful souls who become our playmates and objects that can be part of our playfulness. Sometimes, I can stare at something in my office that I see every day, but by letting the playful part of me mess with it, I can see it in a whole new way: like a piece of art or a source of fun. For example, the roll-around desk that my laptop sits on is normally a very functional, studious piece of furniture. When I subject my playful desires on it, it can also be a source of frivolous roller “blading” around my office.

Be seen

Even in the most self-absorbed playfulness, it’s nice once in a while to be seen. We may turn our playing into theatre (“the play’s the thing!”) or other performance. Then, we are sure to want to be seen. And even if our play is “just for me”, our playmates will be observing us as part of their daily requirement. I see most performances (theatre, dance, music, etc.) as an extension of play. No wonder they call it “playing” an instrument!

I hope you’ll give these a try and comment on your experiences or additions to these five. Some of you will want even more. So, in my next post, I’ll offer five ways you can stay connected to play and enliven its presence in your life and in the adult world.

May you know the joy of playful blessings,
Stan