Do You Still Play?

When was the last time you played?

About 15 years ago, I remember seeing a late-night infomercial that has stuck with me ever since. I don't remember what they were selling, but I will never forget this clever line: "You don't stop playing because you get old; you get old because you stop playing." My buddy, Steven, and I bring this quote up quite a bit when talking about how we are going to age like fine wine and fantasize about what we will do with all of our lottery winnings even though neither one of us bothers to play the lottery (which by the way does not count as play!).

What is play? According to Boston College research professor and author, Peter Gray, play is defined by several characteristics. It is self-directed. The activity itself is more important than the outcome. It involves imagination, and it happens in "an active, alert, but non-stressed frame of mind."

There is a lot of research about how play is essential and beneficial for children, and more research is emerging about why adults also need play. The irony of someone telling you that you should play is that as soon as you start playing because it is good for you, it is no longer play. Well, we have to start somewhere. Let's not get bogged down in the semantics. I would argue that the moment you forget that you are doing it because it is good for you, it becomes play. Therefore, creating space for play can eventually lead to real play. 

Wanna Go Play?

It can be hard to find another adult who is willing to play with you. Even telling someone that you are going to go play at the park can illicit some eyebrow raises. But who says you can't play by yourself? My favorite way to play is just to go to the park and start by doing movements that people would recognize as warm-up exercises. I get down on the ground and start stretching or doing light push-ups and lunges. Then I slowly try to get into a mindset of exploration and letting the movements take their own form and see what variations I can add to these standardized moves. I see how I can creatively transition from one move to another, putting together a kind of flow. I definitely don't count repetitions or put a time limit on it. Similar to a yoga practice, I try to focus on my breathing, and attempt to tap into a different part of my brain. I will often listen to the birds around me or focus on the cloud formations as I do movements facing the sky. If I see a tree that looks like it would be fun to climb, I climb it. I balance on rocks. I hang from tree limbs, poles, monkey bars. I do many different variations of crawls that I have learned in from the MovNat community. I try different kinds of rolls - forward, backward, side rolls. Anything goes.

I find that being outside allows for a more creative frame of mind. Be prepared to get a lot of funny looks. When I started going to my local parks and just playing again, it took me awhile to get over people watching me. And let's be honest, they probably weren't actually paying much attention to me, but that is the perception we have - that people are going to think we are weird.

There is an old Japanese proverb that says, “We are fools whether or not we dance, so we might as well dance.”  Ease your way into it. If you don’t want to go to a public area, find a corner of your yard where you feel free to move.

What is your favorite way to play? 

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/200811/the-value-play-i-the-definition-play-gives-insights