Is Play the Answer?

Do what you love and the money will follow.
Release your mind and the rest will follow.
Love the good life.
We are that we might have joy.
Life is good.

These are not the mantras I grew up with.  I think mine were more along the lines of, "No pain, no gain."

You know what?  Forget it.  I know paddling about in your past can get you all kinds of material, but why paddle about in the muck I don't want to replicate.  Why am I not diving into the moment of pleasure.  And, if I am looking for answers about writing, writing as play, why not those moments of pleasure I found in writing about the hamburger in 4th grade?  I mean, what was that hamburger doing anyway?

Going back further to my earliest artifact of writing I have--a poem.  It's probably about half a haiku and it dwells on birdsong and sunshine.  It was my first attempt to capture pure delight on paper.

Is play the answer?  Look at the semantics because believe me it depends on how it is defined.  And I've heard quiet a bit of definitions to the defamation of play...but, so have you.  But I am going with this list: delight, pleasure, passion, lift, joy, in the moment, laughter, love, innocent, bliss. 

Do kids wake up on a summer's morning looking to the day with trepidation of the play thing they will do that day.  Does their heart rate go up?  Do they question if what they do that day will meet the criteria, quota or please those around them?  Do they avoid it, procrastinate it, ignore it?

No.

They breathe in a bowl of cereal with there feet tapping out a syncopated rhythm and leave skid marks behind as they burst out on to this day.  This moment.

Can you imagine?

Waking up with the freedom of PLAY blasting through your mind--adventure, curiosity, freedom, questions, desire.

There is a note on my sons door: Do not disturb--scholar at work.

I am going to make one for mine: Do not disturb--writer at play.