PLAYFULNESS AS A LIBERATING LENS
10 things worth sharing: playfulness as a guide, heart-centered breathing + self appreciation practices, living in the Land of Love, and more...
“Play, and escaping the ideology one grew up in, is freedom.”- Frank Bedart
Play is prayer. Let us play!
I’ve decided to approach this year with a guiding lens of PLAYFULNESS.
As a child, I internalized a belief that my work (what I produce) somehow reflected my inherent worthiness as a human being. My sense of identity was shaped, in great part, by how hard I was willing to work. On anything. As an adult, overwork and staying busy often became a way to numb my pain.
Case in point. I used to throw myself into one theatre production after another without much of a break. I wanted to stay in the “theatre bubble.” The curtain came down on closing night and the next week I’d march into rehearsal to begin the next show. Barely time to smell the literal and metaphorical roses. Or rest. Like a train barreling down the tracks full steam ahead, my effort somehow equaled my survival and sense of self.
At the bottom of it all are the stories I learned at home, in school, and at church in my early years. Those dark-sticky stories that whisper that if I just work hard enough to achieve or try hard enough to be good, I will not be abandoned and I will not lose the love I need to survive. Old, old stories.
Over the years, I have learned to release many of my patterns of overwork and busyness through spiritual, creative, and healing practices, coupled with a compassionate and supportive community of family and friends. I am indeed writing new stories, and I’m still a work in progress.
Currently, as a full-time student in The Living School, I’ve committed to lots of delicious and dense study, reflection, weekly group meetings, and dedicated time for spiritual practices. You can probably see where this is going.
While I love and feel drawn to all these things with great enthusiasm, I have to watch myself here, as well. I have deeply worn grooves in my brain from years of “trying hard.” to prove myself worthy. The tracks are so smooth they don’t even need oiling.
I am unlearning so many mental-physical-spiritual patterns. Play as prayer is devotion to and remembrance of my inherent worthiness. More than a simple antidote to overwork, it is an act of trust in the goodness of life and within myself. It is choosing to return again and again to the gift of be-ing.
I can cooperate with creating new neural pathways in my brain and heart and body through the practice. I can play as an act of liberation. And so can you. Let us play!
Playfulness. Doesn’t the word itself help us take a deep breath?
10 things worth sharing this week
As you move through your day, ask yourself, “ How can I approach this situation more playfully?”
I decided to play with collage as a creative-spiritual practice. Here’s a short video on how to do tape and magazine collage, as promised.
You can see the progression here on my Instagram account.
This throwback came up on a playlist while I was finishing up a collage and I broke out into a joy-filled dance party for one. ( Really cuts loose at :49 - get ready!)
PRACTICE: Breathing From Your Heart. Consider the intention to bring your mind down into your heart space. Placing your hands upon you heart, imagine taking breaths as if you are breathing in and out from your heart space. Three deep breaths this can bring you back to yourself. ( I am sitting in a cafe in Boulder, and after writing this, I JUST HEARD a guy in the booth across from me on a call instructing someone to do just this. Synchronicity is so much fun!
Seth Godin’s take on Generative Hobbies
Give yourself some loving self appreciation: Each day for a week, write something you love about yourself on a paper valentine heart and tape it your wall or mirror. ( You can roll your eyes but it feels really good. )
I’m in love with my new town . On the blog, learn what it’s like to live in Loveland in February! Sneak peek below.
FOUND on Netflix. My niece was adopted from China, so this really touched my heart, but this documentary is for everyone. Shout out to my friend Judy who brought it to my attention.
For the single ladies who dread Valentine’s Day - End Toxic Dating For Good
Master Transformational Coach Megan Thoma is leading a course to End Toxic Dating for GOOD! It consists of three 60-90 min. calls on Sundays, beginning Feb 13th. (With a bonus call on Manifesting 101.) There will be a teaching, time for coaching and Q&A and then homework and journal prompts after each call. Megan’s three step process of Remembering, Releasing and Reclaiming will help you learn to live from a place of utter worthiness and happiness.
More Information: DM on Instagram: @megan_thoma
Megan is my daughter and I proud to share her healing work!🥰
xoxo Mary