Whether it is in nature, with others, or with myself, life can go between the two extremes of enjoyment and suffering. Does this sound familiar to you? Well, what is to be done about it? Can anything be done about it? Isn't it just how things go? In my heart I have always believed that there had to be a better way to live life than jumping back between joy and sadness. Something more like peaceful and contentment, but not boredom and dullness. Can a pleasant condition like that really happen in my life on a regular basis? Experience has taught me that the answer lies within me and everyone of us. The people that are the most adaptive and flexible that bend with life as if they are willows in a storm rather then snapping like a rigid tree branch are the ones that I find time and time again welcoming me into the light of peace and stability. I believe it is their ability to dance in between the extremes of life that makes them so resilient, peaceful, and joyful, yet careful, patient, and wise. Not to mention that they always seem to know how to lighten the mood with a clear patient smile and engaged laughter. They almost always seem to act in a way that leads to what feels like the right solution to whatever problem life has put before them. It is almost like life is a play and they know exactly what role each scene calls for.
I have a playful definition of ...well... playfulness that works for me in most cases. I am at play, there are objectives, and there are situations that will be unpredictable, and it is an adventure to find the solution ...If you want to consider it that, but it is most important to have fun, or rather it would be fun to have fun, no pressure.
I will do my best to search for solutions to those objectives, and try out different possibilities ...That is if I can do it in the spirit of playfulness. It is OK to let go of the search too. ...Though that is not a hard and fast rule.
Sometimes it will seem like the right way to go, and sometimes it will seem wrong, but I can always try again. There will always be another chance down the line. ...sometimes it can be hard to see at first, but where is the fun in knowing all the answers.
I can be patient and wait my turn, because for play to be fun, there needs to be more than one player. If I watch and take joy in sitting on the side as another takes the spot light, I can learn how to take the spot light, and share the joy of watching when they are in the audience. …we might seem to be here and there but are on in the joy we share.
When things get too much for me to handle, I can smile to my self and say “Isn't this a fine mess,” then ask for help laughing together with the one who is helping if they are in a playful mood. ...otherwise I can still laugh to myself ...that is if I am in a playful mood. Then things will pass and start again.
I can continue playing a certain role even if I am not the best at it because it is fun to do something different and learn something new. However, I am OK with letting myself take a rest if things are so different that no solutions seem revealing itself at the time. I can take a break, ...stand on my head ...literally or figuratively, and see the world from a new perspective.
If I am ready to play that role once again, I will have a feeling that tells me so, and I will let myself go. Otherwise, I will wait and be patient until a better feeling comes along to guide me to a more enjoyable and peaceful destination.
Haste doesn't always make waste, sometimes it is just the role that I need to play. It can be fun to be the rabbit, ...but then, it can be fun to be a turtle too. ...that is why there is a rabbit and tortoise pose in yoga.
Sometimes I feel a little silly and need to tell it on the mountain, sometimes I feel a little serious and need to write it in an essay. ...However way that I need to do it, I play the part for the time it feels appropriate, and then I let it go or let it happen to the best of my ability.
Am I always right with this approach to life, maybe so, maybe no. I find that not making that judgment leaves me open to feeling a more honest condition I like to think is being fully alive moment to moment. ...But then again that is part of the play too! :-)
May your week be playful and free, peaceful with a large helping of joy!
Peace, love, and blessings to you, my friend!
Aaron :-)