play

It was a rough day. I called a friend to see if she was feeling the same way about her very grey and rainy Monday. She was. We decided to combine resources and hope for better, together. I came over with groceries and she prepared lunch while I played with her children. Getting the basics of grocery shopping and lunch taken care of was a good start, but the clincher for me, in turning things around, was playing with the children.

I know my place in the world of play-- make 'em laugh, listen, enthuse, let the imagination soar. It gets me totally outside myself. In the same way I believe that the best way to learn anything is to try to teach it, the best way to have fun is to try to make it for others. I sat on the floor and we giggled and spider-walked and hopped and trotted and told silly stories. It was lovely. Play, I think, is right up there with napping as a path to world peace. I came home with a handful of princess pictures, two angels, a fabulous drawing of fireworks, and a heart in a far more hopeful state.