Meditation on Infusing Your Life with Play (Especially the Struggles)

As we were leaving for work I heard a crash and smashing sound in the kitchen.  It seems as Lisa grabbed her purse from the counter, a full bottle of wine next to it had decided to go full kamikaze onto the floor.  In the car I told her how I appreciated her showing such solidarity with my clumsiness, though I didn’t think she needed to take it that far.  In reply she said we should have our dog Biscuits come down to help clean it up with her tongue, because then instead of barking at everyone who walks by our house, our terrier would be super chill and happy.

I share this because infusing our lives with an attitude of play, especially the struggles, is a massively helpful practice.  Dan Allender, a well known therapist, frequently talks about how when it comes to encouraging personal growth in both ourselves and others, adopting a sense of play is a game-changer.  Whether it’s a way we’re too selfish, a destructive pattern in someone dear to us, or any other way transformation or moving toward each other would be good, choosing playfulness breaks the ice, lowers defenses, reduces shame, and brings joy into the messiness.

For instance, while I’m a bit OCD, Lisa is kind of messy.  While this could drive us crazy, we’ve decided to joke about it, which is not only a good way to release the energy that could otherwise turn into bitterness, but also makes it easier for us to make individual tweaks that bring us closer together.  With all this in mind, today I invite us to practice infusing our lives with a sense of play, particularly the hard bits.