Playing, August 8, 2012 Daily Reflection

My son and his friend playing together

Playing: As adults we are made to believe we should no longer play that is an action for children. Well, we are wrong. We should play in all things. Playing makes us light hearted, it makes us laugh, giggle and smile. As my son says the more you laugh the longer you live. So why not bring joy and laughter into your life in all places?

I worked for 7 years as a photographer at JC Penney’s Portrait studio. My job was to elicit smiles. When a parent would say “Johnny say cheese!” I would kick them out of the photo shoot. I wanted to photograph natural smiles, laughter and giggles. In order to do that I would play with the kids, throwing a ball, playing with stuffed animals, tickling them, playing peek a boo. Those were photos that would be preserved for a lifetime.

Not only did I play with the kids I also had a great friend there named Laura. She was a goofball. We had to be professional but when she saw the boredom coming, or the stress of a grumpy customer she would lighten the mood with a smile or a goofy face.

We should also play in our relationships. My husband took me out Saturday evening for a much needed date. Normally we do the usual dinner and a movie. But this time he surprised me and took me to a bar and grill that had a pool table. When we were dating we would play pool all the time on the weekends. It was fun flirting, making bets and just playing a game together. It was the best date we have had in years.

Adults should play at work, home, and school and in their relationships. Playing lifts you up, makes your mood change to the positive and brings you joy. Try it today. Smile, tell a stupid joke, share a silly story, be a goofball and just have fun for a change and see how playing makes your day better.

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