I was once young, small. Children are so beautiful. They are fresh and full of boundless unharnessed creative energy, that if given the freedom, nurtures their imagination as they play and create wondrous worlds where little creatures and characters live in peace. We know not all childhoods are peaceful, and in these moments perhaps play provides a release for things that are not so balanced in the children’s life.

Play can also nurture us as adults. Perhaps we take on more structured forms of play, like planting an herb garden, making a painting, or refinishing a piece of furniture. Not everyone is blessed with free time for themselves, duty calls, yet we also can make our lives unnecessarily structured and disciplined. Our culture values money, achievement, and I’ve even heard my friends say that a certain job is just not good enough for them or their boyfriend. Yes it is good to achieve to a certain level and not settle. But who is to say that an “average” working human, grocery store clerk, line cook, waitress, can’t enjoy their lives in healthy forms of creative expression as well.

Then there are those of us with a higher level of established success. We work careers, have slaved away at our personal business, or work for some firm or company that requires us to continually strive to impress, and there is competition for jobs or even your very position. This, with your toddler at home, may easily drive you to think that you have no time. Creativity is a luxury, and when you have ten minutes you may just want to sit still. Stillness is of course important and can be creative as well.

Remembering that young child, think about the fact that they have not even learned to brush their teeth without constant prompting or a reminder. Their world and canvass inside of their mind is utterly full of possibilities. Often what fills our minds as adults are messages we have learned over the years to tell ourselves, which help protect us and have helped us adapt to this fast paced and cruel world we live in. There are walls, barriers, and guides that keep us on our toes. It may surround appearances, or how many things you get done in a day.

To have unstructured time, once we get into tapping into the creative empty space of truly improvised play, we may surprise ourselves with what we discover. Perhaps we are able to rewrite the blueprint that was created in our minds that got us this far safely. Perhaps these rules aren’t really necessary any more, or are even getting in our way. At what expense to our voice and self, do we want to accomplish something outside of ourselves? How often do we tune out to the television because we are unhappy with the way things turned out; still listening to that voice that tells us we are not good enough and we have failed? On whichever end of the spectrum you fall, let it be beneficial to your inner toddler to just start cooking not knowing what you are making, start drawing not having a plan of composition, start digging in the soil without knowing what you will plant there or what will fill the hole; perhaps simply dressing in the morning by just going intuitively to colors that resonate with you on that particular day, or go for a drive turning and entering on a ramp without having an end destination.

I believe that these unstructured and improvised activities and past times allow us uncurl from our lives. We may be surprised what we discover, what emotions bubble up, where we end up or who we meet, bringing some spontaneity back into the life we live. Perhaps it is important to every now and then let go and let god. I have a sense that in today’s world, economy, and fast paced duties in days that creepily get shorter and shorter, often the only way we can get through is by sticking to the plan. It may be important to notice if this is causing harm in your life, or more importantly what would it feel like to step out, even for a full day, from what we fall back into so easily. We can change our lives and habits; I am suggesting simply starting with play.