Play

SANTA BARBARA, California // Adam and I used to view play as a singular activity. We would try to set aside a portion of each week to achieve play whether it be rock climbing on the weekend or jogging through Central Park. We worked to play.

While on a beach trip in Santa Barbara a good friend started creating a sand art octopus. We eagerly joined. For 2 hours we built together with intense focus. Nothing else mattered in the world except the octopus. Even knowing that high tide would wash it back out to sea didn't deter our enthusiasm. We were present in the here and now of digging in the sand. I felt so accomplished and cleansed when we completed it. That octopus awoke the sensation of play and creativity in me again that I didn't even realize I had tuned out. This play perspective has spilled over to all aspects of my day to day. 

It used to take me 30 minutes to wake up with an alarm and three snoozes. Now I wake up on my own earlier and happier sans alarm. Im excited to start my day of play. Dishes used to be a chore but now I enjoy taking the time to wash each dish. I'm grateful of the food that dirtied the dish and happy to contribute to the community here.

What I had forgotten was that play is your perspective on life. It's a state of being. All aspects of life can be play. As a kid we innately play all the time and as we grow up we tend to compartmentalize our time into two categories: Play and not play. Basically those who can fly in Peter Pan and those who cannot.

This post is dedicated to Evan and Elena, two of the most playful people I have ever met.