Today, someone asked me what play looks like in my life right now. I thought about it for a minute, and then told her that I was going to Europe for a month later this spring. Her jaw dropped, and we reveled in the beauty of that reality for a moment. Then, she narrowed back in, and asked me again what play looks like in my everyday life. This was not because she doesn't consider a month-long exploration of France, Italy, and Switzerland play, but because she is wise enough to know that we as human beings need play and rest as a regular part of our rhythm, not simply occasional anomalies in our busy lives. I thought about it for a minute, and began to realize that I don't play well without others. I seem to need others to spur me on to try new things, or to accompany me while I try new things. I try to fit myself into what play looks like in other people's lives, which in some respects has been excellent. I've sung in a madrigal choir, played on indoor soccer teams, and even taken up watching The Bachelor in an effort to join people in their idea of play. These things (and more) have been great, but sometimes I find myself needing to play when no one else is available (or seemingly so) and not able to figure it out on my own. The friend I was talking with today encouraged me to make a bucket list for the Sabbatical I'm currently taking. This statement reminded me that my friend Ann told me this eight months ago. Oops. I have done some of the things on the Mental Bucket List I formed while thinking about the Sabbatical, like:
.....go home for Christmas.....
......read books for fun.....
.....help Ann direct her "Our Town".....
.....go to church but not do anything particularly useful.....
......not apply to grad school......
.....send birthday cards.....
and others. But the time has come for a more specific, more daring, more fun version of the Bucket List. This will hopefully be a lovely adventure in learning to define play on my own, and also in inviting others to join me, instead of the other way around. But at the moment, I need to leave the house and go to small group (my first time back after a many-week hiatus), and to be honest, you know I'm too chicken to just brainstorm a list here on the spot. This is NOT child's play. Or is it?
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