The Gift of Child's Play
In a child's world, each day is occupied with play. Their world is filled with possibility; a gift hidden within the gift of play. Each new day brings the opportunity to explore, imagine and create. Old clothes from a vintage storage trunk become Paris's latest fashions; teddy bears at tea become trusted confidantes; and make-believe butter, sugar and flour become the most delicious Italian Creme cake you've ever tasted.
I love the art of play - approaching each new day with awe and wonder, much like a child! Approaching life this way is akin to being given a blank canvas on which to paint, or a fresh sheet of paper on which to write or draw. Like being given a new seed to plant in the garden, or discovering a sandbox just begging for a castle to be built.
The power of play is such a gift! It awakens us to the possibilities that reside all around us. It allows us to discover the joy and beauty of creating and to do so in a way that is an authentic expression of who we are. It gives us the freedom to try (without fear of failure) and it gives us the opportunity to uncover what truly makes us come alive!
It is in play that we truly learn to celebrate the moment and to celebrate life each and every day!
Starting today, why not challenge yourself to begin to see and experience life through child's play?
Ask yourself these questions:
Can you remember when you last lay on your back and watched clouds morph from cats into old ladies? How long has it been since you said "hello" to the man in the moon or quietly waited on your front porch for "star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight?"
When was the last time you went out and played in the rain and stopped to enjoy a raindrop gently caressing your cheek? The last time you skimmed a rock over the top of a creek just so you could count the ripples it made? How long has it been since you listened to the secret conversations hidden deep within the recesses of a sea shell you discovered at the oceans edge, as the tide changed from high to low?
If you could approach life as child's play, seeing each moment through creative eyes, looking for treasure in the ordinary, what wonderful possibilities might await you? What might you create?
I encourage you to discover the gift of play. For, I truly believe that it is by observing and emulating a child at play, that we begin to get a taste of what celebration and creativity amid an otherwise ordinary life can look like.
*This post was originally published as an article in Belle Inspiration Magazine. You can follow the lovely Mimi Bleu's daily photos of life in Paris on Instagram @belleinspirationparis.