Cultivating Rest and Play

We are back from summer break! And, not only do I have pictures to share, but this also feels like a great time to get all squishy + vulnerable and talk about why summer break has a history of scaring my flip flops off.

But, I can't explain that without first explaining the very concept of "cultivating rest and play".

Wait, wait--trust me, this needs explaining. And there are funny drawings. You'll enjoy it.

People generally have two reactions when we talk about this guidepost for wholehearted living. I tend to hear either, "I already do this--I go to the gym and work out every day, and I play on the company softball team", or "Must be a nice life--but the rest of us have real work to do!".

The majority of people who make the first statement generally don't understand what is meant by the word "play" and use it to define any number of non-play activities. The true definition is "time spent without purpose".

I'll say that again--time spent without purpose.

In our rush-rush, hurried and harried world, we don't comprehend this. How can we even afford time without purpose?! And how often have you come back from vacation more stressed and tired than before you left?
 
Working out at the gym is good for you, but it is not typically play--you usually have a goal: get healthy, lose weight, lower my blood pressure, train for a marathon, etc. All worthwhile pursuits. But, to truly rejuvenate and rest, we need the kind of play that we used to understand when we were kids--aimless, purposeless wandering.

Watch a young child play and it looks a little like an attention deficit puppy...SQUIRREL! Kids will lay in the grass and find silhouettes of animals in clouds one minute, spin in a circle until they fall down laughing another minute, and carefully follow and curiously inspect the activity of a ladybug the next. They need no toys, games or instructions. They have no end goal or reason. They just ARE.

Put an adult outside for an hour and tell him to play, and he will first look at you like you are crazy. Which game is he supposed to play? What is the objective? What are the rules? How does he know if he's won or lost? How long should it take?

Maybe he'll just go start mowing the lawn.

At some point along the way, we lost the meaning of play. We replaced it, instead, with exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth. So, the folks who make the second statement and figure you must be some kind of free-loadin', ladybug-followin' hippie can't even justify the concept of rest and play.

For me, this concept has often brought up another gremlin time and time again: scarcity. I don't have enough time. I can't possibly close up shop and block my calendar of appointments for more than a few days--what if that's the day something important might happen? What if I don't return an email quickly enough? What if a client needs something? What if, what if, what if!

But, the truth is, I work hard when it's time to work. I can afford to recharge and rejuvenate. There is enough to go around, and important things will happen on other days. Plus, I am a more creative, healthy, centered, efficient and productive being after I take time out for true rest and play.

I'm not saying this was an easy transition for me at first. I'm especially not saying that maybe it wasn't an absolute knock-down, drag-out, slug-fest that involved me "cheating" by making a "quick check" of emails at 2am in the dark.

But, after some years of stick-to-itivness behind me now, I am learning to embrace this guidepost of wholeheartedness--look forward to it, even! And I'm pretty sure that the important people in my life appreciate this practice too!

If you want to start, or deepen, the cultivation of your own wholehearted practice, check out the new workshops now open for registration! I'd love to have you join us!

And, in case you wondered what summer break looked like this year, here are a few photos!

 Is there anything more "summer" than sunshine and docks?

 Long conversations.

 Finding love from the universe on the beach.

 Stopping to smell the hibiscus.

 Twilight.

The face of pure joy and contentment!