Last weekend my volunteer buddy and I were working in the park & found ourselves near the magnificent, historic carousel. We hadn't ridden it in decades....we went in! Up & down, singing lustily to the accompanying seasonal songs. I can't tell you how lighthearted I felt for days afterward. Play on, people!
In my present situation, work is the byword. My amateur radio friends "work" the air waves. Another friend with workout in the gym or work with a trainer. The knitters work on a project. I've done most of things on your list and they have kept me "alive" since I retired from employment. I try to avoid calling anything I do "work" because the very word defines our attitudes. Your article really hits it, stressing the importance to change our vocabulary from work to play. Why can't we give ourselves permission to play? It's so destructive. My SIL has made a life as well as a living focusing on the concept of "purpose." She laments that her husband's dementia has taken away his purpose. All he wants to do is sit and watch TV or movies. So let him! That's his purpose now. But how do I tell her that. She knows everything. Just ask her.
It truly is. Luckily, I only see her during infrequent visits that only last a few hours. She does tend to drain one's energy despite her own Energizer-Bunny level. whew!
"Get down on the floor and play with the children." I had to laugh—my great-granddaughter got me there for the first time in about 25 years. We have such fun, but oh, that getting up is something else. My knees complain loudly. She also wants me to run with her—she takes me by the hand and says, "Run, GG (great grandma) run." And we do - up and down the hallway - laughing all the way. What a gift!
Ten of us played a word game (comes in a box, don't know the name of it) on Thanksgiving. It was brilliantly simple and required zero skill. Everyone enjoyed it.
Mine, too. Sometimes I think I'm supposed to want to do something more active or more creative but, truth be told, anything with words has always been a delight.
Last weekend my volunteer buddy and I were working in the park & found ourselves near the magnificent, historic carousel. We hadn't ridden it in decades....we went in! Up & down, singing lustily to the accompanying seasonal songs. I can't tell you how lighthearted I felt for days afterward. Play on, people!
That’s the spirit, Wendl!
Don’t forget computer games!
Yes of course! How silly of me to forget.
In my present situation, work is the byword. My amateur radio friends "work" the air waves. Another friend with workout in the gym or work with a trainer. The knitters work on a project. I've done most of things on your list and they have kept me "alive" since I retired from employment. I try to avoid calling anything I do "work" because the very word defines our attitudes. Your article really hits it, stressing the importance to change our vocabulary from work to play. Why can't we give ourselves permission to play? It's so destructive. My SIL has made a life as well as a living focusing on the concept of "purpose." She laments that her husband's dementia has taken away his purpose. All he wants to do is sit and watch TV or movies. So let him! That's his purpose now. But how do I tell her that. She knows everything. Just ask her.
Sue, thanks for these reflections on work and play. As for SIL, why try to inform someone who knows it all? Sounds like a waste of good energy.
It truly is. Luckily, I only see her during infrequent visits that only last a few hours. She does tend to drain one's energy despite her own Energizer-Bunny level. whew!
"Get down on the floor and play with the children." I had to laugh—my great-granddaughter got me there for the first time in about 25 years. We have such fun, but oh, that getting up is something else. My knees complain loudly. She also wants me to run with her—she takes me by the hand and says, "Run, GG (great grandma) run." And we do - up and down the hallway - laughing all the way. What a gift!
Janice, I’m impressed that you got down AND got up! Good for you! Children have so much to teach us.
Hi Don, They certainly do, and this 2-and-a-half-year-old has taught me so much. It is amazing and so very special to have this relationship with her.
Good stuff!
Thanks, Wayne!
Ten of us played a word game (comes in a box, don't know the name of it) on Thanksgiving. It was brilliantly simple and required zero skill. Everyone enjoyed it.
Susie, wordplay is my favorite kind of play.
Mine, too. Sometimes I think I'm supposed to want to do something more active or more creative but, truth be told, anything with words has always been a delight.