Play: To occupy oneself in amusement, sport, or other recreation.
Play time is a universal need. Learning occurs through experience, and play is a natural instinct which combines learning with pleasure. Throughout most of childhood, play is the way children learn about themselves and their environment.
Playhouse:
When I was a little girl we didn’t go buy a lot of toys. My mom was always able to take what we had and turn it into fun. I remember the most awesome play house was actually my dad’s storage shed. Mom push all his things to the back and the put plywood in front of it and viola, the open floor space was soon filled with our toy kitchen set, table and chairs, and anything else to doll it up. It was in this little play house my passion for home, decorating, cooking, and taking care of babies was born! I remember sweeping the floors, washing the dishes, and cooking the most awesome meals. Today, I continue to play. In fact, when someone calls and asks what I am doing, often Richard’s response is “Playing in her playhouse”…Translation: Cooking, cleaning, decorating or working on a project for the house.
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Bike Riding:
I will never forget the freedom I gained when I got my bicycle. Off to explore the world. I put many miles on that bike…visiting friends and exploring the back roads. I loved packing a picnic lunch and heading out to explore for hours. Sometimes I would ride with friends and other times I was off on my own. Today, I still enjoy riding my bike. Whether it is a riding around the neighborhood on bicycle or across country on a Harley….
Living in Liverpool Texas as a kid we had a lot of wooded areas to play. Seedling Pine trees made the most awesome forts. Wooded areas made for a really good game of hide and seek too! I remember romping all over the place without even giving a thought to spiders or snakes. Today, I still love hanging out in the woods. Richard and I go camping frequently sitting under a canopy of trees drinking coffee and tinkering with a campfire is one of our favorite things to do.
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Living next door to us were 3 boys close to the same age as my sisters and me. For entertainment Rusty was Sunny and Yep, you guessed it, I was Cher. We practiced for hours and then would put on a concert for our parents. Our stage was the picnic table and Rusty’s, I mean Sunny’s guitar was a grilling basket for fish. We were incredible!!! Today, I love to sing and it was my passion for music that lead me to the love of my life; Richard. While we are not Sunny and Cher, we do make some pretty awesome music!
It is amazing how the things which we do as children carries over into our adulthood as a favorite pastime. Now when I see a pretty for the house, or feel the breeze across my face while riding, smell the scent of pine while camping, or hear a song that moves me I thank God for my childhood memories.
When you work too much without interspersing some play into your day, you lose your vitality. Play keeps your heart light and your spirit lively.
It is okay to play! Go back to your childhood, think about the things you loved to do, and incorporate them into your life today. Go for it…Be a kid again!
Love Lee ♥
Related Articles
- Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Ride Down Memory Lane (beliefnet.com)
- 10 Family Traditions to Start Today (lifescript.com)
- Prescription for healthy kids: Go outside and play (dispatch.com)
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