The importance of play

Playing.

It comes so naturally and yet once we hit those teenage years we somehow stop  -  and then forget. I wonder why that is? The stopping can be explained, I guess by a need to move away from things that are 'childish', things that mark us out as children. As emerging adults we are all to aware that as a general rule adults do not play. They work. And so we try to shed playing and anything associated with playing to become 'more like adults'.

I have asked myself two very serious questions this week. Is this how I want my chldren to view adult life? and have I lost my ability to play?

The answer to the first question is no. Absolutly no. I do not want my kids to think of their life as 'grown up' as work and jobs lists. However if I am honest that is what my life has all too easily become. Several things have brought this into focus recently. A good friend has been inviting us round for games evenings once in a while, another set of friends are also into games and we have recently spent a lot of time with them playing. Playing piggy-in-the-middle on the beach, playing dice games. Also The Artist is into games in a big way, mainly because he lkes the company and this has got me thinking. We have had such a lovely time.

I have not (I don't think) lost the ability to play but I do not prioritise playing, it is way down the list behind cooking, washing, taxi service etc. etc. To some extent this is necessary, it would be no good if we had no clothes to wear or food to eat, but to have little or no play that includes the adults, expecially in a HE household is a poor do.

Thinking back I used to spend a lot of time playing with The Sports star when she was young, whenever we went to family parties I was alwys to be found in the corner with the children playing games rather than in the room with the adults chatting/moaning (there is often a fine line). But once there were three children, a DH that works away, teenage children to drive places and HE to consider (To name a few), the play kind of got lost along the way which is crazy and not at all the planned outcome of taking the kids out of school. I guess I got a bit wrapped up in being an adult and forgot to be who I am. The artists retreat I am sure has helped with this, focused the mind a little, allowed space in the schedule for play for me which in turn gives me more energy for play for 'us'. Spending time with friends who are enthusiastic about play also helps. The dawning realisation that 'the jobs list' will never actually be finished, it will just constantly change over the course of my life.

Spiritually also we are told to be like little children. In play we loose ourselves, we forget the things we are worried about, are planning for or working towards, forget how we look from the outside and become ourselves again. In short we live in the present moment, and that is where God is. God is present to us in the hear and now, not wrapped up in past problems or acheivements or to be found in fututre plans. Like little children wrapped up in a game of complex imaginings, we are called to be completly present to where we are, wrapped up in the love of Christ who is the divine centre of all we are, closer to us than even the breath we breathe. When we are wrapped up in Christ there is no room to worry about what other people are thinking, of how we might look from the outside or even of where the road might take us. We are completely present in the moment with God - just like a child at play.

As with all other things, what we choose to do in our practical daily life is a reflection of how we are spiritually so if I am unable to play, unable to let go enough to be silly, to get caught up in the moment and forget myself, how can I put myself to one side and alow God to work? On so many levels something needs to give.

As a way of trying to redress this a little we are having a bit of a clear out. We are going to play all the games we have and get rid of any that are rubbish so we can replace then with new (or new to us) ones that are worth the space they take up in the cupboard. The Artist and I made a start today as all the others were out and we had the place to ourselves. The problem is going to be that there are just too many good games out there - we only manage to get rid of one and that was because it wasn't in a great condition rather than because it was rubbish.

So more play in our house - at least until I forget again that painting the fence is NOT more important than playing.

Friendship

I have had a bit of a week.

I have found that I have amazing awesome friends who love me deeply and without question

In those friends I have found a large chunk of heaven right here under my nose where I couldn't see it.

These friends, through just being who they are, have shown me something of the God I claim to believe in.

Maybe now I get it. For at least a little while.

The unconditional love of an all powerful God. Awesome.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, set free for a life lived abundantly in the grace of one who loves me without question. How great is our God?!

A prayer

This is a prayer that God gave to me on a day of silence in 2004 when we were to contemplate the painting the prodigal son. Now I have been given a book to read which contemplates the same painting and it has brought this to mind. I have begun the process of putting a version together that can be sung. It maybe a long process as I haven't got the knowledge or skill to do this yet - but I'm working on it with the help of some very lovely freinds. Also given to me by God

Come to me all you who are thirsty
Come if you are poor, crippled, blind or dying.
Come of you are balck or whire, believer or no.
Come if you are doubled over with the weight of your troubles
Come when you sing for joy in the love of Yahweh
Come even if you have never come before
Come to me always, in every circumstance you find yourself
Come and share it with me

Come to me as you are; a child of God
Come and be healed, comforted, rejoiced over
Come and share with me; you are my beloved
Come to me and bring others with you, so that they also may drink
Come and show me who you are so that I may show you who I AM.
Above all come. For I am your God.

My list of twenty

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a day of reflection and journaling I had attended. As part of it we had to write a list of twenty things we would do/places we would go on an artists date, by ourselves, for the enjoyment of doing something for ourselves. Well I am happy to say I have managed this for the last two weeks. This may not seem momentous but it is having an impact on my week already. I am calmer. I have a cast iron guarantee that there will be some enjoyment in my week. Most of all I have permission to be an important person in my own life.

This may sound like a strange statement but it is quite difficult to find time for self in a schedule crowded with people and commitments. Not that I resent the time I spend on other people - far from it, time spent with and for others is life giving in all ways. It is more that it is easy to become the least important person in your own life as you race around trying to fit everything in. I find it hard to say no to the kids; no I'm not going to do that with you because I am going to do something for myself. If I had a job to do fine, or if something more urgent came up, but prioritising self just because I can, that is much more tricky.

So what have I done so far? Week 1: I took an afternoon nap, plonked the boys in front of a DVD, took a shower and went of  sleep. This may not sound like much to most, but if you consider I didn't sleep in the day even when they were babies, this is a big thing for me. Week 2: I took myself off to the wool shop and bought some wool that I didn't need. Another little step. I am still haunted by my extremely frugal student days where The Sports Star and I existed on next to nothing. When you realise how little you can manage with you start to view 'stuff' and the possession of 'stuff' differently. I have plenty of wool, I have the skill to adapt a pattern to fit the wool I have, so why buy more? Well it was such a pleasure!! And now I have the added pleasure of knitting with it in a week or so when I've finished The Artists hat.

so the list of twenty;
1) An afternoon nap
2) A day trip I have intended to take for ages (first on list the wildflower centre in Liverpool)
3) Go for a coffee
4) Buy some nice underwear
5) Take a singing lesson
6)Take some paints and drawing things to a local beauty spot
7) Go for a bike ride
8) Lie in a meadow on a sunny afternoon
9) Go to a bookshop for a mooch
10) Go to the garden centre and buy a plant
11) Do some colouring/take a pen for a walk
12) Paddle in the sea
13) Play a childhood game (two balls is first on the list)
14) An afternoon of prayer
15) Go to the wool shop
16) Go for a walk with the camera
17) Play guitar for the afternoon
18) Charity shop trawl
19) Mooch round the library
20) Go birdwatching.

Nothing on the list that is going to change the world but it may just make my life a little richer and a pleasanter place to be