Let Us Play

Some days don't lend themselves to anything more profound than goofy, silly, funny play.

Reflections on a resolution to have more fun.

I know we are still not out of the woods yet with pandemic and politics, but I am yearning for the true freedom of the heart. Not the kind that is conferred by this or that Constitution of human agreements, but written within the constitution of my own body, mind, soul, and spirit and in conjunction with my Destiny. The playful version 1.0 whom I was when I burst onto the scene of this lifetime. I know she is in there and I'm gonna get her to come out and play with me!

Play helps to reduce the sensory overload created by our high-tech world. It encourages relaxation, stress reduction and has benefits for brain function, enhancing creativity and keep us feeling youthful and full of vitality. A lesser-known benefit of remembering how to play is how it can help with feelings of isolation, social disconnectedness and loneliness that can so often color our day-to-day experiences. Not only can it improve existing relationships by keeping them fresh and promoting resilience, it also plays a hand in helping us to heal resentments, and hurts that threaten the safety of the bonds, allowing trust to be reestablished. Social skills are learned when kids play, but it applies to adults as well-refining those skills of reading others- body language, cooperation, boundaries, and teamwork can be relearned or established that can help us with reaching out to make connections and keep them. This is great to know, but as adults, we tend to stuff our inner playfulness as inappropriate, making it seem unnatural or making us stiff and stuffy. Breaking out of that rut (a bad habit, really) requires a little prep work so we can be more comfortable with doing it, not just thinking about how fun it would be. Sometimes it helps if you have kids or grandkids to play with- they are remarkable teachers if we let them be. But sometimes that just isn’t the case. All is not lost dear child in training. Here are a few things to try to evoke the mood and connect with your inner child so you can nurture that little one back to health:

1) You can become a connoisseur of great childrens books or movies (a few are mentioned in this post, btw) to evoke the wonder and joy of the world of children's curiosity, lovingkindness and joy.

2) You can play make believe again (some suggestions below)

3) When you encounter your inner child, be gentle, kind and really listen to what he or she has to tell you, especially about what is needed for healing and happiness. You might have to color, draw, sing or dance to coax them out. It will be fun!! More on the value of adults and playing here .

Books and Movies to entertain the Child Within and those your are Friends with in your life:

A book I came across last week through one of the Facebook pages I follow is "Lion and Bird" by Marianne Dubuc. You can read the article and get a sneak peek at the book here. Written with the feel of “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, it is the story of a lion who finds an injured bird in his fall garden. Deep friendship unfolds over the winter months as the bird recovers. It reminded me of a book I loved when I was a kid- "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" (Richard Bach), another touching story and one very much in sync with the reading I did for this week's Yijing (see below).

I should note- these links are not promotions or advertisements- I have no connection with these authors other than as an avid reader and appreciator of wonderful beautifully written or illustrated books that inspire me to create more, practice deeper, or allow that child within out to play. I also love that it was published by a small independent book seller, Enchanted Lion. Buy the Lion and Bird here.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Qigong, just invented.

“Seagulls don’t fly in the dark!!”

The bird. Does. It. Anyway.

One of my favorite memories about my childhood is all the Saturdays when my Mom would drop my brother, sister, and me off at the movies so she could have a few hours of kid-free moments. Okay, she was usually doing errands, so it wasn’t really a vacation, exactly, but that is another story. We were as happy as she seemed to be while waving goodbye (a little more exuberance than normal, Mom), telling us to have fun, stick together and don’t touch anything (or else)! So, one such day, my sibs decided they were going to buck authority and not stick with me, opting for the scary movie while I went into a movie called “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” that they thought would be "dorky" anyway. Seeing this movie turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life; it literally formed the foundation of a worldview that still motivates me to be my better self as often as I can manage it. By the way, the sibs ended up finding me before their movie was over- scared to death- and although they would never admit to it, their faces said everything. We watched JLS to the end, sticking together until Mom collected us to bring us home.

And it inspired a new game for us to play: Rock Star. We could not get enough of the soundtrack. I grew up in a musical household- my father had a career as a music teacher; my mother played piano and taught us to appreciate all kinds of different music. They met each other as members of the University of Michigan’s marching band (saxophone section). My parents had the soundtrack to this movie and after seeing it, we would play it over, and over, and over, each of us pretending to be Neil Diamond performing for thousands, singing into hairbrushes, drumsticks, and sometimes, an actual (probably broken) microphone of my dad’s. It is a magical game and never failed to improve a bad mood, and over the years (yes, I kept doing it, but that is also another story), broken hearts, confusing times, and countless other situations. Hey, lots of people do this in the privacy of their own homes, but my question is, when is the last time you did it?

This is my challenge for you this week: Find a recording of your favorite childhood song, get out your hairbrush and pretend it’s you singing, dancing, working the crowd. Do this at least once this week. Report how it went, if you choose, in the comments- if you wish, make a recording and post it for me. I know- adults don’t sing into a hairbrush, leaping around like rock stars. Do. It. Anyway.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

(doesn't have to be these songs, btw)

The beauty of these songs, including Dear Father above, is they touch my deep soul and they never fail to bring a cleansing of tears, but also a swell of appreciation of the beauty and poignancy of life and struggle:

Video at right is the song "Be":

Buy the soundtrack (Vinyl version!!)

New This Week (Members and Neighbors):

See this coming week's : Yijing Drawing (1-24-21 through 1-30-21)

Hexagrams: 56 Lu (Traveler/Wanderer/ Sojourner) line 1 changing to 30 Li (Clinging Fire)

Note on above content: I have made some updates to my website and blog, so you may need to re-subscribe to see the above article- it's okay!! Tap on the "Subscribe" button and become a 3Bao Community Member -it's still Free and you'll be able to view content that isn't available to regular ol' Joes. Also, if you subscribe to a paid membership package, you can receive specials on classes, treatments and other mighty fine things. But if you just want the blog- be a Neighbor- that's perfect!

A Guided Meditation for Pain relief (click here for audio)

Preparation for Winter Qigong: Standing and Breathing and Wisdom Pose Meditation:

Einstein said, "Play is the highest form of research". So, what are you waiting for? Go find out something. Last one in's a rotten egg.

Love and gratitude all through the week!

Cyndi

Next week: Bear Qigong: Waking up from Hibernation

Another qigong set inspired by Ronald Davis’ book (link below)