Play Time

I love to play and have fun, even today at 40 something. I love to go to the park and swing, maybe go down a slide or two. Then there are my favorite things like golf or volleyball and bowling which I unfortunately don't do as much as I would like. I find play time the best time to relax, de-stress, make friends, make noise and have fun. My son loves to play catch and he has the stamina of Charles Albert Bender. Hours spent pitching balls of all sizes and shapes or batting balloons back and forth. And it is fun and relaxing. And the giggles he gets are contagious to anyone in the house.
I think it is fun to not act your age, but to let go and enjoy yourself no matter what others think. I know from looks and whispers over my many years that some have had thoughts about my ability or poise or age or insanity but to them I say "I am having a great time and you are not!" I still color, inside the lines of course and I love to do crafts. I paint my walls for fun, all different colors and make every room a different theme so I can have little adventures at home. And I use the good dishes a lot! Why not.
I have always said I may have to grow old but I never have to grow up, and I don't want to. I love watching a situation unfold and the reactions of those in it's presence. For example, we took a trip to Disneyland 2 years ago that was akin to National Lampoons Vacation movie. As the parents each blow of fate took our trip down a notch, but our son was amazingly oblivious to the events. We should have suspected such a trip when my husband decided to do car maintenance and change the battery prior to leaving. The battery mount broke so three trips later we had a new battery and mount:)
We arrived to California Adventure in time for them to tell us they were closing early that day. We went to the hotel to jump in the heated pool to find out it wasn't which explained the long line for the hot tub.
The next day after a delightful breakfast we arrived early and jumped on two rides before 10 and then my husband jumped into the bathroom to hug the porcelain tossing pot for the next two hours. Determined to see that we had a great day he took every anti emetic drug the park sold and we continued on. Cody did not seem to miss a beat. It was all GREAT! By supper time my husband was well so we went to an expensive steak house we would normally refuse to pay for. Excellent food, only one item that a child would like so we ordered him two and then we were back to the hotel where now the pool was heated but the hot tub was not.
Sometime around midnight I developed a relationship with the porcelain tossing pot which now leads us into day two. We road the rides at Disneyland and had a suspiciously nice day. Day three arrived and we were determined to have some greater adventures so we decided to go to Knotts Berry Farm. Why are they still open? We passed the western area, closed. Went to the burger joint known for it's pie to be told they didn't have any cause the cook was on vacation. Finally we arrived at a ride, sort of. It was a lift that takes you to the top of the pole and goes in circles so you can see all of Anaheim. Note to self, do not go in a lift when the city is surrounded by fires as you will not be able to see past the finger prints in the seating area. And very funny was the guy who stood right next to us and with his microphone ON told us to take our seats and prepare for decent. Slow day in the park.
And to top it off our son was either too old, too tall, too heavy or too young for all but 2 of the children themed attractions. No Peanuts characters anywhere. Yikes. Back at the hotel neither the pool nor hot tub worked. Due to the fires we could not get to any of the other areas we had pre-purchased tickets for so we made the decision to go home early. Satisfied we were making a good decision we opened the door in the morning to a virtual wall with 3 foot visibility due to smoke and fog. As we were finally hitting freeway, traffic suddenly log jammed. Going the other direction the roads were all being blocked off and a long line of motorcycle cops were streaming by. Then police cars and then black SUV's and it finally dawned on us. Arnold and the President were coming back from viewing the fire damaged areas. Lord have mercy.
With each event we laughed a bit more and began taking bets on what might happen next. Our son summed it up for us the best as "The best trip we ever had!" He saw nothing wrong, he had fun, he played despite the obstacles, he never let it get him down. Even thought the park was closed it was no big deal. He was there to have fun no matter what. He has that same attitude with everything. He loves to play. And I realized I do too. So whether it is in the yard playing catch or having fun swinging in the park it is important to have lots and lots of play time in your life. Pencil it in and enjoy!