While I was at the rink yesterday I watched a little girl playing. Mom
was watching older sister skating and younger sister was entertaining
herself. Actually mom wasn’t paying too much attention to either
daughter, but was getting in some quality chatting with some of the
other moms.
So little one is coloring in her coloring book with some markers. That
doesn’t last too long though. Next she collects all the markers and
starts stacking them end on end into one long marker. Eventually they
fall and there are markers everywhere. Wow! A cool new game. Arrange
the markers on the steps of the bleachers. Wow! another cool game.
Stand at the bottom of the bleachers and try throwing the markers onto
each step. Wow! Another cool game…
And so it went one cool new game after another. Playing is fun. I so
wanted to get up and play some of the games this little girls was
inventing. I figured out each one in seconds and they all looked like fun.
But to do that would Be
Reckless. “The other thing that keeps you young, in my experience,
isÖ keep playing. Play with your kids. Play with your lovers. Play with
your friends. Play with your dog. Play with yourself. Live life as a big
fun game. And remember, itís not so much about all the toys you can get.
Itís more about the games you can invent to entertain yourself and others.”