Case Study - Recreation/Play
Forward to a Friend
“We Americans have it so out of whack!” Katie, my friend said. She had just returned from 3 months traveling through Europe.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We work way too much and we don’t take enough time to play. Europeans think we’re crazy and after watching how much more relaxed and joyous they are, I’d have to say, we’re missing the boat when it comes to play.”
I nodded in agreement and said to her, “I agree and it is one of the reasons I made sure to add it to the Life Puzzle. While we don’t play as much as we work, frankly, it is as important as work. Yet few people see play as anything but a waste of time!”
“Too bad, isn’t it?” she replied. “We’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off—thinking that if we take time out to play that we’d end up so behind at work when the truth is, if we’d play more, we’d be better at work, not to mention more relaxed and calm as parents, we’d reduce heart attacks, have more time for our families and community and possibly reduce turnover at work due to major burnout as a result of not taking enough vacations.”
“I know, I know—it is the irony of ironies!” I laughed. “Whenever I assign ‘play’ as a homework assignment to clients they look at me like I’m crazy! Play helps you relax and recreate your SELF and enables you to be a much better Life Puzzle-maker. Play can be anything that you like as long as you’re relaxed and rejuvenated after participating. But we’ve turned it into either an expensive self-indulgence or relegated it to ‘when I have more time pile’ which of course, we never have enough of. Can you imagine how much more fun the US would be if we played a little bit more?”
Katie laughed, “Maybe we could get it on a political platform—rejuvenate the US, play more!”
“I’ll second the motion! Imagine a country where citizens knew that playing made them better partners, parents, co-workers and community members—we’d all be doing it. And we’d know once again that every piece impacts the whole and play is as important a piece as any other in your Life Puzzle.”
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