thoughts on play

July 21, 2011

it’s all in our heads
all right, it’s been a little heavy around here lately. time for something lighter — and after all, what’s lighter than the idea of play?

NOT my idea of play. but maybe it’s yours? [source]
i was inspired by gretchen rubin’s most recent happiness project post, in which she made a statement that caught my attention:

“Nothing is inherently fun.”

it took me by surprise, but i think she is right! not only is nothing inherently “bad” [just perhaps different than one’s expectations, right?], really, nothing is inherently anything.

or, everything is inherently nothing.

[OR, perhaps i had better stop writing things like this before all of my AM caffeine has been absorbed — but i hope that you get my drift.]

play: then + now
so, given that we’ve established that fun is a completely subjective and internal concept, i thought it would be FUN [yes] to think about which activities i’ve thought of as pure fun — both as a child, and today.

childhood fun [for me!]
reading. anything, but especially girly series fiction [babysitters club FTW!]
✰ gymnastics. actual classes, or just practicing in my room.
✰ playing school with my little sister + ordering her around [sorry, r.]
✰ typing novels and stories on an electric typewriter that lived in my room
✰ writing ‘fortune-telling’ programs in BASIC
✰ having friends over + writing stories together, holding madonna dance competitions, or just hanging out

not on the list? any sort of team sport; getting dirty; thrill rides; wandering around in the neighborhood; practicing the piano [sorry, parents].

adult fun

[okay, that sounds a little . . . interesting. just note that because of my profession, we’re going to have to keep this list G-rated!]
✰ reading books [i’m definitely getting into never let me go!]
✰ blogging
✰ running, being active, hiking outdoors [ <– i never do this! but i love it.]
✰ hosting things! [must be my ESFJ coming out]
✰ getting to know families + watching children grow [the most fun part of my job for me!]
✰ shopping [for stationery, clothes, kitchen gadgets, books, food — really anything.]
✰ yoga classes – especially trying and mastering new poses
✰ planning things [parties, trips, the next week’s dinners . . . you name it.]
✰ reading blogs + magazines
✰ pedicures + massages
✰ seeing arty or character-driven movies
✰ trying new restaurants
✰ drinking wine and having a great conversation
✰ listening to music especially if i can sing along

[not on the list? any sort of team sport — playing OR watching; watching action movies; playing computer games; developing new recipes; photography . . . and plenty more!]

i encourage you to play along and share your lists with me as well — if it sounds fun for you, that is! for more ideas, check out the happiness project quiz on play personality types.

—————————————————————————-

7.20.11

the SNED project continues
heidi swanson’s shaved fennel salad + a whole foods bison burger
i loved the salad! fennel, feta, pine nuts, zucchini, lemon, and dill = complex but light and summery flavor profile. i would definitely make this again. josh had been asking for burgers for a while so i conceded with bison. i have to admit i enjoyed it, too.

workout ~20 minutes elliptical + weights [deadlifts, pushups, walking lunges, pull-downs, triceps]. lifting weights never feels like play to me — i wish it did!

No Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.