Being Playful is Kind

Day 57: Being Playful is Kind

“We don’t stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw

Forget about how old you are for a moment and think about how old you feel. Do you feel your age? Do you feel younger than your age or perhaps older than your age? How old we feel definitely has to do with how playful we are with ourselves, with others, and with life in general.

Yesterday as I was leaving the yoga studio where I work, I saw the cutest little boy. He was about 3 years old and was so curious and playful. In the few minutes that I observed him; he played with the mail slot in the door and pretended he was the mailman, he smiled and said hello to everyone he saw, and he stopped to examine his reflection in a big puddle. Oh, and he of course played in the puddle too. It reminded me of the pure joy little ones get out of the simplest things. Playing and being playful comes natural to children, but as adults we need to work at it and find the activities that encourage curiosity and playfulness. Maybe it’s playing with your child or playing a silly card game with friends. Whatever it is, try to find your playfulness and remain young.

Kindness to Self:

What activities, people or hobbies elicit playfulness in you? If you lack laughter, lightness and playing in your daily life, try remembering what things you enjoyed as a child, it’s worth a try. Keep looking and you will find what creates that youthful playfulness in you.

Kindness to Others:

Being silly with others and laughing until our sides ache is priceless. Over the holiday vacation, my children, spouse and both grandmas sat down to play monopoly. As a family, we hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. We were all making side deals, being silly, conspiring and just having a whole lot of fun together. What can you do today to create that light playfulness that creates laughter and joy? Find it and enjoy!

Kindness to Strangers:

How can we be playful with strangers? As a natural introvert, being silly with strangers used to make me feel uncomfortable, but I happened to marry the silliest man when it comes to interacting with strangers. It’s often times embarrassing for me and the children, but if I step back and see the innocence and joy it elicits in both my spouse and the stranger, I can see that it is pure human kindness.

Kindness to Our Planet:

Our beloved planet is full of opportunities to be playful and to play. The land, water and sky provide our very own playground, you just have to pick your activity, get outside and play!

Jennifer Palazzo

Photo Courtesy of FreeImages.com and The Very Kind Shannon Pifko