Bring the Playful into Your Life

Have you ever noticed how falling in love just makes the world both fuzzier and clearer at the same time? Well, maybe its just me! But I'll tell you what, I'm excited to be living and breathing with a heart full of hope for the future.

For a long time, I felt stuck in a rut. Just stagnant, trying to push through life with small bouts of joy but mostly going through the motions of a daily routine. Finally a friend of mine, who quickly turned into the most loving man I have ever met, mentioned to me that I might need to rediscover a sense of playfulness, not only in my dancing but in my life. I remember looking at him dumbfounded and thinking that he must have gotten a little bit too much sun that day. I generally spend alot of time ensuring that I create a space of love and surround myself with people and situations that bring me joy, so I was surprised at his comment. In fact, I was quite upset at what he said, and I'm sure you could have fried an egg on the look of disgust I gave him. Luckily he gave me another chance. Instead of trying to convince me himself, he asked me to just read a short book. He sent me the link to The Little Prince written by Anoine de Saint Exupery, which you can find here http://www.angelfire.com/hi/littleprince/introduction.html. And said that afterwards we could discuss all the "matters of consequence" that were bothering me.

Truthfully, I put off reading the book for almost two weeks, believing that reading one more "self-help" book might actually make me crazy. However, he was very persistent, and both my sense of curiosity and desperation led me to give his suggestion a try. It only took a few pages before I began to enjoy the quiet message of the book and I found its prose simple enough to be understood by children and adults alike.

I won't say it was life altering, but I will say that I finally understand that, as adults, we put too much emphasis on "matters of consequence." Instead we need to tend to the simple beauty of friendship and allow our sense of playfulness to see a elephant swallowed by a boa constrictor instead of brown hat...okay, you won't known what I'm talking about unless you read the book (*HINT* you'll need to read the book to satisfy your curiosity, so go ahead and do it already!) I have finally begun to see that I should be laughing at my own stubborn need to cling to my daily routine and taking more time to find a unicorn playing a banjo in the passing clouds above me. (actually it looks more like a lion than a unicorn now...)

The point isn't so much that you must read The Little Prince, the point is that sometimes you need to give something new a try, because the only way out of a rut is to take a chance on something different, something foreign, something you hadn't thought of before. Fear of change will keep you trapped until the discomfort of staying where you are becomes more painful than moving toward the unknown future. The funny thing is, the future is going to find you whether you like it or not, so why not welcome it with an open heart and a playful smile.

PS.... if you are stuck in a rut, maybe the Blues will shake you out. Give Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" a try (my new favorite love song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEp2QLicd9Y or John Mayer's "Neon" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzsEzD2fVwE

Just BE
--Yannori