I received an invitation to a friend’s wedding, several weeks ago and was delighted when I read the words, ”Dress is casual. Wear your play clothes….” Over the past several years, I have been trying to remember, or maybe learn anew, how to play.
When I was visiting the ocean last week, I stood knee-high in the very cold water and watched a bunch of kids playing around me. They were all fully engaged in their games, so much so, that they did not notice the cold. I can remember as a child, my mother saying, “You have to come out of the water and warm up. Your lips are blue and you are shivering!” I also recall that I did not want to stop playing and wasn’t really aware of my body until my mother pointed it out. Being so cold, that I was turning blue and shivering, but not wanting to stop, sounds really foreign to me now. I can also remember driving home from the beach, after a full day of fun, feeling so good.
Just the thought of having clothes designated especially for play makes me smile. I may have to take another trip to the thrift store for the purpose of buying these special wedding duds. What would they look like? I think the look is not the point. They need to be so comfortable that I can forget about my body for a while. I need to be able to forget about my body so I can remember something deeper.
Lots of research is being done on the power of happiness, joy and play to heal both the body and mind. I bought the cd, The Power of Joy, by Dr. Christiane Northrup several years ago on a friend’s recommendation. It is absolutely wonderful; funny, insightful, inspiring (and inexpensive!). I cannot recommend it highly enough!
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Joy-Deliberate-Pursuit-Pleasure/dp/1401923089
I so love your insightful thoughts…I look forward every morning (while drinkinking my protien shake). If your post isn’t up early enough I’m so dissapointed! I usually start my day with a cup of good coffee and words from our Lord…then words from Mary. God Bless!
It’s a little weird to live on Cape Cod. So many people are here vacationing, while us locals and wash-ashores are off to whatever is on the standard daily schedule. The traffic gets heavy and the stores get so crowded that it’s easy to catch yourself grumbling about tourist season, but seeing people who are happy enjoying their time away to play is also really infectious. I especially love to see the kids enjoying themselves because I remember that ‘play in the water until you turn blue’ time of life and it makes me smile. I live in a playground with a really big sandbox, and nothing but a negative attitude can stop me from putting on my play clothes and having fun every day if I want to, even on work days. How cool is that?
“I live in a playground with a really big sandbox” is a great thought Barbara!
I live in a great playground in Maine, Barbara. It is fun to see others enjoy it as well. I learned to swin and dive in the cold water. I remember taking a deep breath before that first contact of the day; then it was just fine. Those who live here have our own playgrounds – gardening, bird feeding and watching ,our own small boats, and tiny out-of-the-way places to play in the water. Right now my greatest playground is the field full of plump blueberries in back of my house. Yum!
My ‘sandbox’ is also a vacation destination—just on the opposite coast of the Pacific. When the locals grumble about traffic or the tourists, I make a point of mentally thanking my lucky stars to be able to enjoy it on a daily basis. We have many international visitors from every conceivable part of the globe; how wonderful it is to share an outdoor cafe lunch overhearing languages I can only guess at. The most marvelous discovery is that a smile is universally understood and a brief chat over a cup of tea makes me feel like a diplomat of good tidings.
Your words paint such a lovely scene/feeling Cheryl…I can actually feel the enjoyment of sitting at that cafe enjoying it all!
Great post, Mary…..took me back to my summer days at the beach with the shivering and the blue lips all part of it….and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lemonade at lunchtime, the bread all soft and fresh…and the sounds of surf and gulls on the edge of your awareness while you dozed after lunch, trying to get past the obligatory hour you had to wait after eating so you didn’t get cramps…….beautiful days I’ll never forget.
Thanks for this.
……….this was after we had frantically went from house to house in the neighborhood trying to persuade one mother after another to drive all us kids to the beach and then having to find another to pick us all up ……… ours was a puny lake that we thought was as great as any ocean since it was pretty much in our own backyard and essentially available to us every summer day. It was also attached to an amusement park that laced our days with potential fair food to boot. The wonderful memories we hold on to from our childhood days are priceless; blue lips and all.
Yes, fun post, Mary. Thank you.
I remember the blue lips and shivering body and running into and out held towel warmed by the sun and my mothers love! Play hard, life is short!
I ordered the book, I think just ordering it is a step towards joy.
So many things I love about the blog: the humility and openness in sharing one’s situation or mood, the routines that we have in how and when we read the blog, the reminders that we all share so many things (even though we think we are so unique) and the transference to our own lives from something poignant someone has said. My intention is to make a spiritual practice out of the reading of this blog. I tend to flit about and not focus. I’ve requested the CD from the library by Dr. Christiane Northrup and I now have a copy of my own of the book by Prentice Mulford you suggested – Thoughts are Things and The God in You. Thank you for your suggestions.
I want to pass along the name of book that was passed along to me by my mentor many years ago. It is Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood – Edited by Mary Strong. I hope you find some nuggets in this book.
I wanted to add another quote that I got today from the same group as yesterday from one of my “daily” readings. Again, it talks about patience. It also spoke to me because I have been having difficulty dealing with “what’s showing up for me.” If you are interested in receiving this type of daily message – here is the link – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlongTheWay/
“The problems in your life are in direct proportion to your unwillingness to swallow absolutely everything that’s on your Path.
The problem is not in what’s showing up for you.
The problem is in your resistance to what’s showing up for you.
It’s in your shouting out to the Cosmos, “This should not be so!”
When you swallow the entire “you-niverse,” then you’re not resisting “what is.”
If you’re patient, though, then everything that shows up for you will eventually become edible.
However…don’t expect it all to taste just like dessert!
- Chuck Hillig
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Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003″
Thank you so much for leaving this quote from Chuck Hillig. I am having trouble with a situation that has shown up in my life, and what a help that quote was to me.
This time it’s a reply regarding the topic of the day.
Since I have retired, all I wear are play clothes. Most people have only seen me in shorts. I wear the play clothes, but it is still hard to give myself permission to play.
It is so funny that you should write about “play”. I went to visit a friend the other day and on her kitchen windowsill she had a small stone with the word “play”written on it. I told my friend I loved that word and the concept it brings to mind. We had fun talking about playing and we referred it all to our childhood. I think I need to apply it as an adult now more often. Thank you too for the CD suggestion, I will check my local library to see if I can get it.
Thank you for this timely reminder about playing and fun, I went right to Amazon and purchased the CD. I am also retired but sometimes I have hard time remembering to have fun and that life is not all work. Thanks also for your blog, my daily ray of light.
What a great wedding invitation – wear play clothes and come have fun with us. I love it!
Nancy
http://www.dogear6.com
I told people in my support group to wear comfortable clothes and one woman came in her night gown!!!!
That is wonderful!
Thank you so much for the recommendation of “The Power of Joy” cd. I just finished listening to it, and it was so very uplifting. I’m seeking more sources of spiritual food – any other cd recommendations would be much appreciated.