The Joy of Play

Somewhere along the way to becoming adults, many of us seem to have forgotten how to play.

We get busy with work, errands, responsibilities and the endless little things that fill our days. Yet there is something wonderfully uncomplicated about sitting around a table with friends and a deck of cards, opening up a board game, challenging someone to a game of chess or checkers, or gathering a group together for an escape room. For a little while, the grown-up world can wait.

Playing games gives us a reason to be together without needing a special occasion. There is laughter when someone makes a ridiculous move, friendly competition when nobody wants to lose, and those wonderful moments when a game becomes far more entertaining than anyone expected. Sometimes the best part isn’t who wins; it’s the stories, teasing and laughter that happen between turns.

I especially love the idea of adults playing with children. A game of cards with a grandparent, a board game around the kitchen table, teaching a child chess, or letting them beat you at something you’ve been playing for years, although perhaps we don’t have to admit when we let them win! These moments create memories that have very little to do with the game itself.

Play also gives us permission to be silly. We don’t have to be productive, impressive or accomplishing something important. We can simply enjoy one another.

And isn’t that something worth making time for?

Friends don’t always need a dinner reservation, a vacation or an elaborate plan to reconnect. Sometimes all we need is a deck of cards, a game on the shelf and a few hours with people we enjoy. Put the phones away, pour the coffee, choose teams and let the laughter begin.

Friendship isn’t only built through deep conversations and life’s big moments. Sometimes it is strengthened over a terrible game of charades, a very competitive round of cards, a chessboard, a puzzle that nobody can figure out or an escape room where suddenly everyone believes they are a detective.

Mindful Moment: When was the last time you simply played? Make time for the people you love, put a game on the table and give yourself permission to laugh, compete, be silly and enjoy each other. Sometimes the most meaningful moments are the ones where we’re not trying to accomplish anything at all.

Joyfully yours, Ms. Mindful Traveller