The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ~Bertrand Russell
I was playing with our kitty Gemma the other day, using a shoestring. Day after day, she never tires of playing the same games. Gemma will chase it again and again and again. She will chase it for however long I will play with her.
Besides shoestrings, we have a black strap with a buckle on one end. I have no idea what it was originally for but she loves to chase that too. We have a broken cat toy that is still chase-able, so it works just fine in her opinion.
As we were playing, I was thinking, Don’t you ever get tired of chasing a string? You know how this ends. You chase the string, catch it, we play tug of war until I win and then repeat until I quit. Doesn’t it ever get old?
And suddenly it clicked. This is what it looks like to have fun, just for the sake of having fun. We’re not trying to accomplish a perfect outcome, or any outcome. There is no goal to achieve. Gemma likes to chase things. Period. She is always ready to have fun with me. She knows it won't last long, so she grabs it while she can (pun intended).
Unlike Gemma, I have a hard time having fun just for the sake of having fun. I've always felt like everything should have a point, a purpose, a goal—that I should be producing every waking moment.
My art-making has caused stress lately because of self-imposed pressure to produce new works for the upcoming art show I was accepted in. Once again, I've turned what I love into work instead of fun. It's time to show up to the canvas ready to have fun again, to explore and experiment. To enjoy the process and just play for the sake of playing. To accept that if /when something cool happens, so be it.
Our souls thrive on play. Recreation = re-creation.
That’s when I make my best work. When I'm playing, I make art that is born, rather than art that is conceived. Work, relationships ... everything works better when we approach them playfully, because we want to, not because we have to, or ought to.
Do you let yourself play? Or do you see play as a waste of time? Do you know what you like to do for fun? Some of us have avoided fun for so long that we can’t answer that question.
We should all have a list of several go-to things when we need to just play. Some of mine include painting, blowing bubbles, skipping, doodling, coloring, playing cards and board games, experimenting with my hair, and apparently teasing cats with strings. What are yours?
For those who can relate to needing more playtime, I’m issuing a “fun” challenge. Will you take ten minutes today to enjoy some completely meaningless, time-wasting fun? I would love to hear about it in our
FTG Reader's Group.
I want to add a teaser, “Bonus points for a video or photos!” but I forgot … we are not looking for any points. This challenge is for no point at all. But if you want to show me what you did, please do so and know that I will smile when I look at it.
Whatever you do, please have FUN today.
