I used to love playing “Batman and Robin” with my little brother. My mom would use a safety pin to secure a towel around our necks so we’d have legit capes. Sporting Batman and Robin Underoos, we’d run off, getting completely lost in the land of make-believe, having the time of our lives.
The mind is funny like that; It does not know the difference between the reality we, as a society have agreed is real, and what we are imagining in our heads. It’s like dreaming. Our mind cannot tell that we are not really experiencing our dream. Our muscles twitch and we feel fear, elation, and any other emotion elicited by the virtual situation in our mind. If we can figure out how to re-tap into the creative imagination from our youth (or dreams), we regain the power to unwind pent up angst and revitalize ourselves with the joy of free expression.
Fast forward to our current lives. We are immersed in endless responsibilities, chore lists that only seem to get longer, and pressures from every angle telling us how we should be acting and what we should be accomplishing. There are not enough hours in the day to accomplish our set goals let alone get lost in free play. However, I contend it is vital to do so. There are some things in life that do not directly advance our position or tackle our responsibilities – But they do help us hit the reset button so we can move forward with a clean slate and rejuvenated spirit. Getting lost in free play is one of those things.
I’m not sure I could get as much joy from a flip-flop. But I’ll let Kali teach me how.
It is way too easy to get lost in the pressure filled, dollar and cents, gotta produce reality set forth by society. That’s why having kids is so great. Their imaginations haven’t been beaten out yet. Let’s face it, kids requires an endless fountain of energy. It is time we learn how to use them to improve our energy levels. The answer is not only simple, but it is a blast. It strengthens the relationship with our children as well as hitting our own reset button/clearing the crap out of our head: A true Win-Win.
Simply playing with our kids is all we need. But I’m not talking about the playing in which we are solely amused by our children’s joy. I’m talking about the playing in which we let our children bring us entirely into their world – where we let our mind become completely consumed by the rules and laws governing this land of play. With my 15 month old daughter, that may look like crawling around on all fours, chasing her. With my 7 year old nephew, it may be building Legos. With my 4 year old niece, it may be wearing a dress and dancing to Beyonce. There are no rules. There is no judgment. There is only complete creative freedom of expression. It works for kids. And it works for us – if we allow ourselves to get lost. And after…well, it’s time to get back to work.
A short video-take on the subject: