What a Shift in Persepective Can Bring...
Last week my dear friend Susana Frioni and her gorgeous little girl (who is a very talented artist) came to stay, and while her little lady drew picture after picture on huge blank papers, Susana and I explored our Core Desired Feelings until they popped with enthusiasm and dripped with joy.
It was kind of funny, because when I looked at the evolution of one of my words for this year, it sign-posted a very significant shift in my outlook and priorities. At least, it did consciously.
To begin with I said I wanted to feel ‘purposeful’. However, when Susana and I played her game of going deeper by exploring how that word sounded, tasted, felt, and looked, I couldn’t get excited. It felt heavy, hard, fractured and difficult. Like a school room full of books with a teacher standing beside a black-board checking off whether I’d done my work each day.
My personality is naturally achievement-driven (I’m an ‘Achiever’ or a ‘3’ on the Enneagram personality profile, which basically means I love getting stuff done and my mind can be consumed with ideas of things to do), so putting ‘purposeful’ on my list was almost like reminding a cat it wants to sleep. Totally unnecessary.
Instead we substituted it with a word I’d initially written on my list, but I’d scrubbed off because it looked too silly. Too frivolous.
What I didn’t know was how it could feel soooo damn good.
The word was Playful.
This year, I want to feel PLAYFUL.
Andrew and I laugh so hard every day at all kinds of weird stuff, it makes my spirit sing. If one of us is jumping into a skit or forming a new character in an impromptu role-play, we get in alongside and play off one another. Because we feel safe to be silly together, we also feel safe to laugh our heads off. Regularly. Usually at ourselves.
Playful also extends into a bunch of other avenues of my life too. Into my creative writing, painting, and business activities. Into the courses I want to create and offer this year. Into the deep soul nourishing space of spirit, love, and taking risks.
Playful sounds to me like a big box full of fresh new paints, pencils, glue, coloured pens, pastels, and clean paper to play on.
It sounds like a year worth investing in; like swimming in the waters of inspiration, intuition, spirit, humility, and exploration with the Playful flag flown high on my ship as it crashes through the waves of life.
Feeling Playful in Real Life
Knowing I want to feel playful has changed some of my decisions, just small things in day-to-day life (which is what it’s all about anyway) that have enhanced my sense of daily fulfillment. Instead of simply working through a ‘to do’ list each day, I’m asking myself what I can do to feel playful. Here’s a list of ways so far:
Buying green pants instead of black (simple, but effective playfulness. I sometimes feel like I could join a circus wearing them).
Drawing and painting in the evenings instead of watching movies.
Inventing a ‘Studio in a Box’ to make creativity possible even on the road (Andrew and I have been absorbed many nights sitting around a tiny little table in our motel rooms making ‘Wisdom Cards’ with paints, soulful questions and collage).
Relaxing my defenses and laughing at myself where years of coping strategies had built up to protect myself from feeling too vulnerable.
Playing ball with and chasing Lacey Jane, like every day, multiple times a day.
Making up stories, songs, characters and even poems with Andrew.
Wearing more colour in general.
Going on ‘Wabi Sabi’ photography expeditions – photographing old and decaying things while high-lighting and noticing their beauty.
Relaxing on some of my more dutiful activities, clearing them out altogether, or limiting the time I spend doing them.
Taking ‘Deep Play & Deep Dance’ breaks when I’m getting sucked into the vortex that can be found inside my computer.
Painting Explorations Using My ‘Studio in a Box’
Photography Expeditions & ‘Wabi Sabi’ Adventure Walks
Lessons on Being Playful from Miss Lacey-Jane
Lacey is my Playful Role Model. She ALWAYS loves to make the best of things and have a good time.
For instance, when we had her spayed, she had to wear one of those terrible looking dog collars, “The Cone” we called it, to stop her from chewing out her stitches.
Well, once the anesthetic wore off, she explored this new apparatus she’d been endowed with and found she was quite fond of it…
It became her personal ball-throwing device. She’d use it to scoop up her tennis ball and throw it for herself. Or outside, she’d use it as a shovel, flicking dirt and digging holes until she was sitting in a cool patch of soil and happily covered with dust.
It didn’t matter she was ‘supposed’ to be feeling sorry for herself with her limited mobility. Instead, she found ways to turn a disability into a delight. She’s a little sage wrapped in fur. A blessing of softness and joy.
Your Invitation to Be Playful
I invite you to join me in a Playful year. That doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly (of course life isn’t really like that) but I’ve found being mindful of feeling Playful makes the journey a whole lot more fun.
Here’s to a wonderful year. I’m so thankful, excited and blessed to have you in my life as we journey together nurturing our health, happiness and creativity.
With love,
Nicola xx
PS. What are some of the things you do to feel Playful? When was the last time you played? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below. I’m always so interested in this stuff! We really do inspire each other to grow when we share journeys together.