playtime

I can tell i'm aging because i reminisce more than i used to. Having lived awhile, it gives me more material! So here goes...

When i was a kid, we had fewer organized activties. We had a front door, a back door, bikes, maybe a dollhouse or playhouse, and neighbors. Those were our toys. We made weapons, water balloons, little wars, chemistry experiments (try baking soda, toothpaste and mouthwash), doll clothes, secret clubs, and kickball matches. We played hide-and-seek; we rode around, bored, waiting for inspiration.

I wonder now if today's kids know boredom, or have enough empty time to recognize their own inspiration. I notice that now, there are so many moms doing a fine job making their kids' lives full that the moms are empty, and the kids are overstuffed. This situation is aggravated by the media, with its constant injunctions to buy, or lose the glamour race. The commercial world conspires to turn us into consumers.

This is a Faustian bargain. Our sacred mandate is to be creators. And lovers. Early childhood research shows that when children feel secure in their primary love (usually mom), they explore, and play. When they don't feel secure, they're too nervous to leave mom's knee. Much energy is spent assuaging fears and reconnecting.

In a similar fashion, many kids today are not anchored well, in spirit or in nature. Their moms, either. This makes them overly dependent upon "strokes" by others, rather than a more solid well from within. In a strange twist, much of our creative energy is spent creating situations in which our value is reinforced.

Take time, and see, if a little time in nature doesn't fill your tanks. I gotta go now, my favorite tv show is on....