Go Play!

I have a 20-month-old border collie named Finnegan. He has a ton of energy and need for attention in the form of food, toys, and cuddles. I’ll be honest, though: I’ve said those two words of the title of this post more times than I can count. Finn’s “boop” face is pretty darn cute, but now he’s learned that all he must do to get attention is rest his head on a lap, look up and wait. You know what? He loves to play, he just loves it more when Jordan and I do it WITH him. You know what else? Sometimes that pup is a lot smarter than we give him credit for.

Remember back when we were kids when rather than picking up our electronics we’d pick up large sticks and pretend to be sword fighting pirates? Or pretending to discover new worlds by climbing to higher branches on the trees outside? Or—and this is my personal favorite as a native Portlander—taking couch cushions, blankets, chairs and pillows to make indoor forts when it rained? You could do anything and be anyone. All it took was a little “pure imagination” as one Willy Wonka would say. Ever wonder why so many kids have multiple dream jobs lined up when asked the question of what they’d like to be when they grow up? It all starts with play.

As children, play is incredibly important. It improves stamina and socialization, relinquishes energy, and promotes curiosity, cognizance and creativity. Play draws out different talents that make us all stand out in uniquely different ways, and hopefully gives us all the confidence to stand tall and be proud of our abilities while praising others for their own gifts. Play develops passions that, with practice, patience and progress, could take us all to reach bigger dreams that we may not have even thought were possible down the road.

As children grow into adults, however, sometimes that childhood confidence and curiosity dwindles. In my experience, the many reasons that can and does happen culminate from mainly two places: outside voices and inside doubt. No matter how much we hate to admit it, others’ opinions of what they think we can and cannot achieve matter and influence us all the time. Whether it be from the media to our closest loved ones, others’ perspectives can and do influence us to go in certain directions. Alternately, our own egos combined with our own fears that we might fail can also be a huge blocker in the pursuit of aspirations.

Do you know what I’ve found is the best way to quiet those voices? PLAY. As cliché as it sounds, dance like no one’s watching. Run as if you’re about to win the gold medal in the next Olympics. Pretend you’re Van Gogh and paint the world’s next masterpiece. Put down your phone, go outside, close your eyes and listen to the world around you and imagine a new one. Sing along to the radio even if you’re slightly off-key. Be silly! Take a look in the mirror for a few minutes just to make funny faces. And if you find yourself doing one of these more than once, practice, develop and change it from a hobby into a passion. You never know where it could take you.

Have a good week everyone! I’m off to go play with the dog.