Remember being young and having time to play? My generation grew up outside pretty much. Because that is where your friends are. Not on a computer screen, not on a smartphone screen, they were right in front of you. You could hear the inflection in their voices, see stress or happiness on their faces, laughter from their bellies. Looks from their eyes that gave approval or disapproval.
It’s funny, even when I see groups of friends together now half or all of them have their faces in their phones or video game controllers in their hands.
I wish I had continued to incorporate play in my schedule as I got older. As they say though its never too late to change. And now that I’m getting into the senior years I can become a big kid again.
This is a weekend I just feel like playing. Playing with my crafts, maybe moving the cars and shooting some hoops which I haven’t done in a few years in my own driveway. Seeing some friends (Face to Face) not on Facetime or Zoom but in real life. And if I’m lucky seeing some family and the little ones that make me smile so. Maybe that is why I’m so excited when I get to spend time with grandchildren. They love to play. It’s probably them that reminded me that this has been a missing element in my life.
Playing with guys I grew up with is few and far between. We used to play ball together for decades. There are a precious few days we get together for a day and play. Usually at one of my best friends home on the shore. A day of being young at heart again. A day when 5-6 of us might gather, ride bikes, kayaks, hit the beach, swim and cook and then eat like kings and sit around a fire pit till people start falling out of chairs or are unable to move from a chair.
Usually its hard for even my two best friends and I to get together for a few hours a week to unwind. We are all busy with professional lives, have children and grandchildren and of course better halves to take care of. But we do a damn good job of making it a priority each week, to the benefit of all of us.
So here is to adding more play to my agenda in the future. I’m quickly filling up my schedule so when work stops I won’t be bored.
Random Thoughts of the Day
- There is a lot of pollen still falling. Which means I need to wash my car tomorrow.
- This home and property is really getting some needed attention and I really like how it’s coming together.
- There are a lot of assumptions out there. The less I hear of them the happier I am.
- I could do without that chill in the air tonight.