Joy can be found in the ordinary if we let it, so I started looking for those moments in my own life: sliding across the living room in my fuzzy socks, stopping to tempt the monkey bars with a friend, splashing in the rain puddles in my “good” pants because they can’t really be that good if you can’t play in them. And the more I allow myself to do these little silly things, the more joy spills into everything else.
The little girl on my street who draws a new hopscotch path after every rainfall has no idea that her sidewalk art is one of my favourite parts of my day (especially when she adds a loopty-doo in the middle). It’s like an excuse for my inner child to come out and play with hers. To hop, skip, and spin on my way around the block. But play doesn’t really need an excuse, not for kids, and I think for adults it should be the same.
Play isn’t a skill. It isn’t about performance or judgment. It’s about showing up and allowing yourself to exist fully in a moment that brings you happiness.
If you want to bring more play into your own life, start small. Notice the little things around you that spark curiosity or delight. Give yourself permission to move your body however it wants to move, even if it looks silly. Laugh loudly. Make silly noises often. Pick up a stick of chalk and draw a flower on the sidewalk. Invite a friend to join you in an unplanned adventure, call it a playdate, even if you’re both adults... especially if you’re both adults.
Play doesn’t have to be monumental to matter. It’s not about being perfect or accomplishing something; it’s about reclaiming the freedom to be yourself without judgment. Children are already experts at this; we just have to remember how to follow their lead.
So here’s my invitation: say yes to play, because when you let yourself play, something shifts. I know it shifted something in me. I became the kind of person who is loud, messy, silly, and entirely too much, and I love all of it. If living life this way is “childish”, then I want to be childish for the rest of my life. I jump in puddles, sing off-key, dance in my best slippers and sometimes I embarrass myself just for fun. Relearning how to play saved me, so what are you doing? Get out there, go play!