When You Are Going Through A Hard Time It's Important To Play
From the book: "Women Who Run With Wolves", by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph. D,
"It is play, no properness, that is the central artery, the core, the brain stem of creative life. The impulse to play is an instinct. No play, no creative life. Be good, no creative life. Sit still, no creative life. Speak, think, act only demurely, little creative juice. Any group, society, institution, or organization that encourages women to revile the eccentric: to be suspicious of the new and unusual: to avoid the fervent, the vital, the innovative; to impersonalize the personal, is asking for a culture of dead women."
I love this book, it is so close to my heart. We cannot be reminded enough how important it is to play. Routine is a killer to our creativity. We all know this, but we still go for routine, no wonder that most women are stressed out, bored and have no energy. Too many things to do, too much work, taking care of others, too much cooking, too much cleaning, too much responsibility. But very little fun, no wonder lots of women start drinking or taking drugs, legal or illegal to just survive.
Life is fun when we play, when we experiment, when we allow ourselves adventure. Even simple adventures, like going on a little trip by ourselves, or with a girlfriend. Let's learn how to live life in the adventure zone: Risk a little more, laugh a little more, love a little more, forgive a little bit more. All of us still have this little playful creature inside of us that needs to play.
Let's say good bye to being perfect, it's boring, there is nothing more annoying than perfect people. Have you noticed? I am saying this, because I was one of them, someone who always wanted to be perfect and I was a pain in the neck. My children suffered, my ex suffered and I suffered the most, because I did not allow myself to have fun.
But the good news is that I learned to do it and now I paractice every day to be playful and to fully express myself. It is so sad that our society dismisses play as frivolous. Play is perceived as unproductive and petty, but it actually is vital for problem solving.
Remember that play is important for all aspects of our lives including creativity and relationships. Give yourself permission to play every day. For instance, play can mean going for a walk, going dancing, going to an art show, going out with girlfriends, or maybe just an inspired conversation, it can be that simple.
I hope this will help you understand the importance of play and inpire you to add some extra fun into your life. Please let me know what you came up with and leave a comment at the end of the post.