Lessons from my play history
Last week I wrote about my “play history”, things I enjoyed doing when I was younger. So now I want to think about what kind of lessons I can take from this history.
“Playing school”: I remember that one of my favorite Christmas presents ever was a school chalkboard. Looking at my life now and how much I enjoy teaching, it makes perfect sense that I am so energized from teaching. It is basically my “happy place”. It also brought to mind something Gretchen Rubin about how doing stuff to make you happy doesn’t always make you happy. Creating classes is a challenge and I love when I finish and get to teach one, but the actual process of getting there isn’t that fun to me. But I can’t get to point B (teaching the class) without point A (creating the class). Yes, there are pre-made classes that I can teach, but teaching my own classes is much more satisfying and enjoyable for me.
“Writing”: I realized in late 2019 that writing had been missing from my life. I have always enjoyed writing but had gotten away from doing it. Starting to write about Tom and I’s journey with his cancer and writing the blog has really helped me to process a lot of my feelings. Doing it doesn’t always make me feel happy in the moment (there’s often a lot of tears involved), but it is cathartic, and I think it helps me feel happier overall.
Outside play: This is the one that needs the most work. Sure, I have taken walks outside, but I’d like to find somewhere I can walk more in tune with nature (if that makes sense). I remember seeing a nature park with a walking trail down the street from Mercy where Tom used to get his treatments. I had planned to start going there and walking while he was doing treatments, but then of course his treatments stopped. If anyone knows of any good places I can walk with more nature, I would love to hear about it.
Reading: Last, but not least, we come to reading! I seriously cannot remember a time in my life when I did not want to have a book in my hand. There were times during Tom’s illness that it was hard for me to concentrate on books and I still cannot stand to read any books that are sad. I am sticking to some pretty light reading and that is okay. Eventually I may get to the point where I am ready to go back to doing some more serious reading, but for now, light and fun is what I need.
Last week I wrote about my “play history”, things I enjoyed doing when I was younger. So now I want to think about what kind of lessons I can take from this history.
“Playing school”: I remember that one of my favorite Christmas presents ever was a school chalkboard. Looking at my life now and how much I enjoy teaching, it makes perfect sense that I am so energized from teaching. It is basically my “happy place”. It also brought to mind something Gretchen Rubin about how doing stuff to make you happy doesn’t always make you happy. Creating classes is a challenge and I love when I finish and get to teach one, but the actual process of getting there isn’t that fun to me. But I can’t get to point B (teaching the class) without point A (creating the class). Yes, there are pre-made classes that I can teach, but teaching my own classes is much more satisfying and enjoyable for me.
“Writing”: I realized in late 2019 that writing had been missing from my life. I have always enjoyed writing but had gotten away from doing it. Starting to write about Tom and I’s journey with his cancer and writing the blog has really helped me to process a lot of my feelings. Doing it doesn’t always make me feel happy in the moment (there’s often a lot of tears involved), but it is cathartic, and I think it helps me feel happier overall.
Outside play: This is the one that needs the most work. Sure, I have taken walks outside, but I’d like to find somewhere I can walk more in tune with nature (if that makes sense). I remember seeing a nature park with a walking trail down the street from Mercy where Tom used to get his treatments. I had planned to start going there and walking while he was doing treatments, but then of course his treatments stopped. If anyone knows of any good places I can walk with more nature, I would love to hear about it.
Reading: Last, but not least, we come to reading! I seriously cannot remember a time in my life when I did not want to have a book in my hand. There were times during Tom’s illness that it was hard for me to concentrate on books and I still cannot stand to read any books that are sad. I am sticking to some pretty light reading and that is okay. Eventually I may get to the point where I am ready to go back to doing some more serious reading, but for now, light and fun is what I need.
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