Unthawing

These past months, I’ve been exploring how to bring more playfulness into my spiritual practice. I was longing for a shift because as my Dad intuitively put it, I’d been in a spiritual winter. 

Hibernating, underground…dormant.

“Winters” (spiritual, relational, vocational or other) are a natural part of life’s ebb and flow. These restorative pauses bring opportunities for a reset or even a rebirth.  

The more I learn about play and experience what it invites, the more I realize how integral it is to my “spiritual thaw,” and to all areas of my life.

For me, the essence of play is a spiritual practice. And this conscious practice can be FUN! And is even on the level of “true fun.”

Catherine Price, science and health journalist, describes how “true fun” brings together playfulness, connection, and flow. 

Price defines playfulness as lightheartedness and not taking ourselves too seriously, connection as any shared experience, and flow as an active state of engagement in the present moment.

I highly recommend her book, and a quick Google search will bring up several podcasts and articles about her research.

Price invites us to consider how important fun is to our overall health and how it reawakens us to the fullness of living.

Perhaps you have a wintery area in your life and are longing for a change?  If so, then consider these examples or fill in the blank with your own…

• What would your work environment be like if playfulness was part of your day?

• What possibilities would develop in your financial planning with deeper connection to yourself and others?

• How would your energy increase if you were in the flow?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on these and other ideas. 

This blog post is extra PLAY’filled because it marks a year since starting my coaching business.

And from my hot air balloon gondola (yes, gondola!) I’m shouting out a sincere thank you.

I’m deeply grateful for the supportive ways you connected throughout this year. 

Let’s see where the air currents will take us in 2024.

Photo credit to my Dad, Howard Vrankin. Taken Christmas morning, 2022.

References:

Price, Catherine. (2021). The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again. The Dial Press.

Bowler, Kate (2023). “Serious About Fun.” Everything Happens, Season 11, Episode 10.

Price, Catherine (updated June 2023) New York Times article, “Why We All Need To Have More Fun.”