When we acknowledge the reality of a situation, make a conscious choice to have fun with the situation somehow, this is a form of play. We can simplify life by treating it as a game. We do this by living each moment intentionally, filled with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the situation as it really is, beyond our desires and fears. We all have the capacity to stop struggling against what’s happening in the moment and actually embrace it. 

This type of play can be seen as:

• finding something new in a familiar situation

• the outcome of tinkering with the world/a tool

• a means to accept what is

• deep, deliberate, engaged, intense

Play generally includes constraints (ie. you’re not supposed to use your hands & arms in soccer).  Healthy, productive play cultivates humility because it requires us to treat things as they are rather than as we want them to be. Lessons in humbleness, acceptance, and cooperation are just a few possible outcomes.

We do our best with what we have. There’s no shortage of resources. Healthy, productive play increases our capacity for experiential intensity and connectivity. It’s a skill that can be developed.

Take something (object, event, situation, scenario) you believe wasn't designed for you, isn't invested in you, or concerned in the slightest in your experience of it, then treat it as if it were. What might be the constraint(s)? Think of a persistent complaint you have or a challenge. Your next steps can be to:

1. Surrender control/allowing things to unfold. Be uninhibited, willing to adjust, open to outcome.

2. See it as an opportunity to play. Be creative. Have fun!

3. Respect what’s there as what is, rather than whatever you perceive as lacking. In other words, carefully and deliberately work with what’s so.