play every day

I love that when I am all seriousness… dragging laundry down the steps, making the bed, or writing and important entry on 43Things, our cat, Pidgeon, makes sure that I take a little time out for play. The attach of the shoelaces is especially endearing.

Also posted to Play Every Day.

I think we can all agree that play is an important part of life, for children and adults. It is, however, a difficult concept to pin down. Which of the following definitions is more correct?

• “Activities not consciously performed for the sake of any result beyond themselves” (Dewey)
• “Instinctive practice, without serious intent, of activities which will later be essential to life” (Groos).
  Source: Definitions of Play and Pretense

I’m not sure, but as time accelerates and is chopped up into increasingly small disjointed pieces, are we losing the ability to engage in meaningful and organic play?

I hope not. Take back your time.

Inspired by Thomas Hylland Eriksen’s Tyranny of the Moment: Fast and Slow Time in the Information Age. Image created by crossing Two Kids At Play with the Polaroid-o-nizer™.