Good for the Soul -- Play

It can become so easy to be stuck in the day-to-day grind of modern living. Schedules filled with appointments, meetings, responsibilities, chores, and all sorts of to-dos. Before we know it, a new year becomes mid-year, and mid-year becomes the end of year; the cycle repeats. It can feel like a Groundhog Day movie marathon. Do you know what I mean?

Now, there is inherently nothing wrong with getting things done and having a routine, but how much time do we schedule for fun? For play? For reckless abandonment from having or doing the things we feel we need to, in order to finally appreciate life's gift?

Often I feel guilty of such, moving through life with the same degree of charge, but not towards the lightness of simple play and engagement, the one that connects me to joy. Admittedly, my routine consists of many of the things that are experienced by many to occupy our time, like using smart phones, computers, watching shows/movies, adopting an exercise regimen, having intellectual pursuits, etc., all of which distract me from more natural and spontaneous states of joy, laughter, and play.

Whenever I start to feel this way, I remedy this by being in nature, preferably in the thick of cold weather and under a bed of white snow. I must share, however, I am often teased for this decision, being that I frequently walk around wearing my Patagonia jacket (even under the rays of California's almost year round sun)! What can I say, I love the cold; I just don't like being cold!

So off I trotted back in February to Mammoth, California with only spontaneity on my mind and no agenda whatsoever. I took a few days to embark on a journey of the soul, engaging intuition, exploring nature, and exposing childlike play. I hiked across Convict Lake, built a snowman (or some semblance of one), took mental pictures of life's beauty, and started a snowball fight. I allowed the comical words of "dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge" from the movie, Dodgeball, to repeat with hilarity in my mind and ignite an inner glow from within. I felt rejuvenated and invigorated.

The message is simple. Sometimes life requires play and spontaneity. Listen to this voice when it calls. Give your mind, body, and soul an opportunity to go beyond the material and perceptive world of what seemingly matters and awaken the real beauty and growth that accompanies a transformative time of self-care, self-awareness, and self-reflection. Joy will find you there.