“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.” Friedrich Nietzsche
“Life is more fun if you play games.” – Roald Dahl
My previous blog, “Death is an Adviser” was about living every day as if this were your last day. But how we should live each day? More importantly perhaps, how we should try to play every day? After all, we all know that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” In fact, I think the case can be made that life is really about being “playful.”
The most interesting, creative, alive people I know have one thing in common – they play. They make play an important part of their lives, making time for it, having the toys of play at the ready, and surrounding themselves with other people who are playful. It’s no accident that many of the most creative companies today, such as Google and Yahoo, incorporate play into the work environment, and make it an essential, if not a required, part of the work day. In fact, for some, their work is their play (I count myself among them!).
The benefits of play are well documented, and numerous! For adults, one of the main, immediate benefits is relaxation and increased sense of wellbeing. It relieves stress and releases endorphins, those natural feel good chemicals in the body (and endorphins can actually temporarily relieve pain). Laughing and having fun can foster empathy, compassion, trust and intimacy. Being playful with others strengthens friendships, breaks the ice with strangers, and makes new business connections. Play improves brain function, imagination, increases creativity, and boosts happiness.
Even more importantly, from my perspective, play can make us more energetic, and feel young again. That holds true especially for erotic play, my particular favorite type of play!
Play can range from some specific activity, to a completely unstructured, unplanned “event.” Give yourself permission to enjoy whatever it is that you like for a specific amount of time and delve into it!
If you need to take a play break, how do you do it? How about contacting me and arranging a “play date”? I would love to be your playmate! I will help you get into the “flow” of it. I will make sure you temporarily lose yourself, touch the eternal, and come back a reinvigorated and reenergized man!
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” – Plato
“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.