Day 28

 

Welcome to Day 28!

 

Today is all about the importance of play in our lives.  We’ve talked about how busy we all are.  How much time do you allow in your life for play?  I found this great quote about play which I wrote down on my cards for this program but unfortunately didn’t include the source.

 

“Every treasured contribution in the history of mankind was created through play:  music, art, books, film, comedy, sports, dance, transportation, technology.  Play is the true source of all immeasurable value and wealth humans have injected into this world.  It’s the backbone of the global economy.”

 

Wow!  Powerful, wouldn’t you agree?  And yet we’re taking it out of our schools.  Most businesses frown on it with the exception of places like Google.  We need more play.

 

How you define play is up to you.  I see it as time not working, creative time, sometimes quiet time where the imagination can run free.  It’s different for children than adults but probably should include some non-technology play, some time tapping into the beautiful imaginations we all have. 

 

Taking a long drive is play for me.  I love seeing new spaces and I love the creativity that opens in my mind when I drive.  I read somewhere that when you drive, you use mostly your left brain.  That frees up the creative right brain.  I’ve gotten some of my best ideas on my frequent drives to Cape Cod which I do partly for that reason.

 

I also go to bed earlier than I want to go to sleep so I can play with all the things my iPad has on it.  That way I’m allowing myself time to play and a chance to wind down from my own often hectic schedule. 

 

Are you leaving time to play?  Are you giving your brain a chance to rest?  Are you allowing some open, unstructured, unscheduled space in your day?  What could you give up to make room for this?

 

As we get close to wrapping up the 30 days,  I think you know by now that my take on life is to focus on how you feel.  Your emotions are your indicators.  They are the signals that tell you how you’re processing your life. 

 

We are here to feel good, to enjoy life.  Everything we do – the person we date or marry, the job we get, the children we have, the house we buy, the vacation we take -  everything is part of our search to feel good.  Think about  it.  You have a job to make money to buy the things that you need and want to feel good.  You absorb your media favorites to feel good.  You dress to feel good.

 

But somehow along the way, we’ve allowed ourselves to accept that the negative is ok.  We allow the news into our lives.  We allow people try to guilt us.  We say yes to things we don’t really want or need to do.  We even do it to ourselves with the unsupportive beliefs we’ve been carrying around for years.

 

Let’s not blame, justify, complain, feel guilty, or regretful.  Let’s head on out and enjoy the day from beginning to end.  Because we can.  All we have to do is decide.  We have the power to choose no matter what situation is placed in front of us, no matter what someone says to us, no matter what obstacles we currently face.  We get to choose to be happy, to be positive, to be kind, to soar.   It’s time to fly, my friends…  come join me!

 

P.S.  Now you can choose to continue to the next day or wait until tomorrow.  Either way, here's a link to the next chapter.