A lot of human studies have documented the benefits of play–for adults. It is restorative. Rejuvenating. Joyful. Play refills our creative wells and allows us to work better. Play restores our minds and our bodies. It helps us rest and relax. It helps to banish depression and balance our mental health. But what does it mean: play?
According to researchers, the kind of play in question doesn’t have the goal of making money, achieving accolades or accomplishments, or besting opponents. It’s just play. Like when we were kids. Sounds weird, right? How do adults engage in free play? How do we suspend our minds of disbelief and play act like we are teachers, astronauts, race car drivers, soldiers, etc? The kind of play that is play for the sake of play. It’s not intention driven, or goal focused, or achievement based. It’s just play.
Huh. So as adults, how do we figure out what play looks and feels like for us? How do we get over the hurdle of embarrassment or fear or insecurity to discover our free play? What if we made a list of the things that make our hearts fill with love and joy? What if we made a list of the things that inspire us and motivate us? Not because they make us money, or make us more beautiful or help us achieve more success, but a list of the things that make us smile and glow from the inside out? And what if we take that list and practice the items on it daily?
Here’s one of my lists:
- Immersing my senses in the beauty around me. The towering oaks, the short grass shorn by cattle, the bend of the river, the flowering of the cactus, the weather worn history of hay barns, the summer song of the cicada. These are things that bring me powerful joy and I love to celebrate them through my writing or in photos.
- Local watering holes in small towns. Where everyone goes to be fed, watered, and catch up with neighbors and friends. I love to sit quietly observing, listening, absorbing. The connectedness of people in a small town puts a big silly smile on my face and I love to write about it–every little detail.
- Riding around in my old pickup. The AC doesn’t work half the time and sometimes the window doesn’t roll all the way down, but the sound and the feel of the old truck connects me to childhood and summers at my grandparents. The memory is priceless and the opportunity to relive the memory as often as I want makes me giddy. So I drive the damn truck around town, even when it’s 95 degrees.
So once you have your list, figure out ways to incorporate these elements into your daily practice. Take time to experience these things that make you joyful. Go play. Go lay under an oak tree and take pictures of the cattle in the pasture. Write a poem. Have coffee with the old crew of farmers that show up every morning at the local DQ. Find a drive in theater and take your old truck out there for a movie under the night sky.
Go play.
And speaking of play, there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to enjoy Ace Reveal Sweepstakes. Sign up now at Ace Reveal Sweepstakes and earn BONUS points with a $20 Ace Phone Card purchase.
Follow our press releases and special promotions here. Find us on Facebook.