Monday Notes: Playing: It’s Not Just for Kids!

“Christmas and birthdays are for kids.”

I hear this a lot, and whenever someone says it, I feel as if I’m being childish or something. I love celebrating Christmas and my birthday!

For Christmas, I go to the nail salon and have my toes painted full on Christmas colors: red on one foot, white, silver, gold, or green on the other. Sometimes, I alternate toes.

For my birthday, I love it when restaurant workers have some spectacular situation where singing and clapping are involved. When we were in Panamá, someone sang happy birthday to me in Spanish! Do you know how dope that was to be in Panamá while a Spanish-speaking singer sang Feliz Cumpleaños?

I also wonder if Christmas and birthdays are for kids, then what’s for adults? Paying bills, watching TV until you fall asleep, and getting colonoscopies? Yeah. No. That’s sounds awful.

But then I read Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way. Her book helped me to see that playing—an activity also viewed as only for kids—is something that adults can and should do more of. Cameron associates play with opening up your creativity, but since finishing The Artist’s Way, I’ve recognized playing as a natural human activity that can simply get you out of your head.

Ways I’ve Played

Dwight and I went to a vegan fest at a park. As soon as I saw the swings, I suggested we swing, and of course, take photos and videos.

“You look so happy,” he said watching and re-watching me gliding higher.

“I was,” I confirmed. I felt free.

The day after Christmas, we drove to Myrtle Beach. That night we went to The Great Christmas Light Show. I saw a million little kids walking around with these lighted sword-looking things that shot out bubbles. As soon as I saw the kiosk, I bought one. If anything, being an adult is great in these situations because you don’t have to ask permission or have someone tell you no because you just got Christmas gifts. I shot bubbles out all the way to the car.

The next day, we went to Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. There was an exhibit called Penguin’s Playhouse. I don’t know if it was for little kids or not, but Dwight and I were able to crawl through a little tunnel, which led to a bubble where you could stand in the middle of the penguin habitat. Again, I felt so exhilarated. Crawling was fun and looking at the penguins from an insider’s perspective was, too.

So, I’ve added a new directive for myself and others. Go play! Celebrate holidays and birthdays, and all of the things. You’re not too old. I mean, pay your bills and go get your colon checked, too, but don’t let that be the only concept of adulthood that leads your life. It’s okay to “act like a kid.”

If you have other ideas for playing, feel free to drop them below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kathy Garland (@kegarland)