PLAYTIME
It takes both thrower and catcher to time it just right.
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As you can see by my expression, catching a football off a diving board is serious business. There are the calculations. The intense concentration. And the ability to balance until the timing is just right.
Can you imagine that I weigh fifteen pounds more in this picture than I did just one month ago? That thin frame has been through a little something and has come out the other end stronger than its ever been.
I see this version of me against the clouds, the woman who has done a great deal of sinking, then soaring, these past three years. The image makes me laugh, just a little, and reminds me that I am not the same girl I was once: In so many ways, that’s a really good thing.
We don’t need to be fearful of allowing ourselves to evolve—
of letting go of “shoulds” and “musts” that no longer serve us,
of seeing ourselves from a fresh point-of-view,
of being willing to examine the beliefs we’ve held so tightly,
of releasing others to hold an opposite opinion without believing it will suppress the validity of our own,
of recognizing play as necessary to reviving our joy.
Like me, some of you need permission to play. And so I am giving it to you now, along with a little gift of hopeful words written on the back end of a hard season— so that something said resonates within you…maybe even fortifies you to live a life of joy no matter what's behind you or what’s ahead.
Play does not come easy for me. I admit that I’ve always enjoyed working so much more. But I am learning to set aside the driven part of me, how to quiet my mind, ignore, filter, and hardest of all…to let go.
This week’s entry is shorter than most. Not because I don’t have something to say. But because my grandson is calling, “Nenē come play with me.” And the lake water is so refreshing against the warm Summer breeze.
Today we’re going to race the kayaks down to the bouy and back again. Yesterday’s paddle was exhilarating right up until the very end when I fell into the chilly water while trying to lift my body out of the cockpit and onto the slippery dock. Soaked shorts and shoes made swimming to the ladder a little more challenging but I managed to somehow rescue my favorite sunglasses. The ‘unexpected’ and I have become familiar companions but it seems there’s always something to celebrate along the way.
Promise me something. The moment you finish reading this, go do something that brings you some small [or large scale] joy.
NOTES: Eight tips [from the Kraft family] for succeeding at diving board football:
~Anticipate where the person is “going to be” instead of throwing where they are
~Wrap fingers over laces for the perfect spiral
~Avoid alcohol or wait til sober
~Tell the diver to go on “two,” and throw on three instead
~Ensure bathing suit top is properly secured before jumping
~Upon entering lake, close your eyes and plug your nose
~Try not to swallow as you laugh under water
~Give up any notion that it will actually work and just enjoy yourself no matter how sore your body becomes
About the Image: I want so badly to show you a picture of me with my grand babies—Archie and Grayson—but our family has a strict policy of no posting online. Instead you’ll have to imagine Archie in the kayak with his daddy, just out of view.
