Children’s Play Becomes Work When You Get in the Way. Let Them Be.

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Children’s Play Becomes Work When You Get in the Way. Let Them Be.

“In today’s world there is such a focus on a child’s academic abilities that the social is becoming obsolete. I have seen children as young as 2 years of age who know their entire alphabet, the sound each letter makes and numbers up to 10. Parents are so proud of their child that they are “sooo smart”. However, the same child does not know how to play by himself—even for a few minutes—is constantly seeking approval from their parents, and has the highlight of their day being what they refer to as ‘lesson time’—which is an app on a tablet—because that is when they get to spend time with mom or dad.” ~ Early Childhood Educator  Play does not have a beginning and ending. It […]

The Wisdom and Power of Choosing Joy Simply for Joy’s Sake

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The Wisdom and Power of Choosing Joy Simply for Joy’s Sake

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” ~ Robert Brault There is something to be said about doing what’s enjoyable simply for the sake of joy; about letting loose, being swept up in the moment, lost without a care, just as children are. I learned the unmistakable importance of this truth many years ago… the hard way. For over four years I was dead broke. I had a lofty vision in mind—to lead workshops publically, as well as build a life coaching practice. There was initial success after completing my professional training, but what little there was begun to sour, and slowly I spiraled downwards along an onerous path I could never have imagined. […]

We Pine for Fridays Because We Live Separate from Ourselves and Life

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We Pine for Fridays Because We Live Separate from Ourselves and Life

The act of throwing ourselves to the pavement and into a frenzy because, at long last, we’ve reached Friday is outdated and needs ending. This myopia says much about the maturity of Western society, and how much we compartmentalize our lives, separate ourselves from joy, family, friends, nature, our gifts, values, intuition, a deeper calling, and much more.   Personally, I am glad I no longer crave Friday nights, nor loathe Monday mornings. I am grateful I cannot separate work from play, professional from personal, and that I continuously fail to know if it is a statutory holiday. Each day unfolds into the next as though it is one continuous movement that cannot be broken down into fragments that split me apart, leaving bits of me shattered and […]

Letting the Body Lead ~ Trusting the Movements of our Inner Wisdom

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Letting the Body Lead ~ Trusting the Movements of our Inner Wisdom

When it comes to designing my playshops, I can be a real procrastinator; or so it would seem to my mind. Leading up to the event, my mind will say many times, “You need to get going! You won’t have enough time to do it all!” But despite its admonitions, I still don’t move. I stay on the couch, or seated on a log in the forest, or doing anything but designing my events. And then one day, I just suddenly start doing it. I know in my heart that it is time. My heart moves me, my body, without much thought. And as always, I have more than enough time (and the participants love the playshop!). It would seem our mind knows what is […]

Let It Play Itself Out

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Let It Play Itself Out

Work It Out or Let It Play Itself Out? Life is about balance. There is a time to speak and a time to listen. A time to move and a time to rest. And there is a time to work something out in our mind, or let it play itself out. Generally as a society we are better at the former. Recently I could not solve a bookkeeping challenge. I let it go, sat on my bed, meditated and out of nowhere the solution spontaneously arose. Also recently, my web designer said she needed my images to be three times as large. The next day I got a call from a desktop publishing company telling me that they now sell a photo enhancement software. It […]

Don’t Decide, Discover ~ 4 Steps for Spontaneous Living

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Don’t Decide, Discover ~ 4 Steps for Spontaneous Living

“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.” ~ Agnes de Mille. “Don’t Decide, Discover” were the words repeatedly spoken by international dance teacher and choreographer, Margie Gillis, at her Dancing from the Inside Out workshop I just took at Hollyhock. Her point was that we must learn to allow the body to show the way instead of the mind; to allow its inner wisdom to move us versus making a mental decision that then drives the body forward. Like the universal body of Life, the physical body […]

14 Play Values

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14 Play Values

Play Value #1 ~ Permission To truly enjoy the playground of life, the first place to start is giving yourself permission to be playful. Permission is an affirmation that it is safe for our inner child to come out and play. For many of us this was not the case growing up, and so the path of remembering to play may not be easy at first. Compounded with many years of being a serious adult with responsibilities, it’s no wonder play has lost its place in our heart. But it’s still there, and with our permission we can allow our inner child to have a voice once again. Play Value #2 ~ Presence Play is a practice of being present. Have you ever noticed how […]