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play

photo: Martha G. Brady

In the home where I grew up, play was not looked on as a necessary event for adults. Adults were expected to work a lot! Especially if they were Christian workers who worked for little to no pay! (The logic of that still escapes me.)

So I grew up always feeling that I didn’t measure up, I didn’t work hard enough and generally I must have been rather lazy. When I married, it was fun to discover that we are supposed to take breaks from work, especially if we are Christian workers. We need breaks from people and their demands. We don’t need to be on call all the time. We don’t have to always be the ones who meet every need that comes to our attention.

These may sound like “duh” pieces of information to you, but they were not really to me, in terms of practical, everyday living. Most of our family “vacations” consisted of continuing education for my parents. stop Yes, the scenery was different, but it really wasn’t a vacation. They were still working. I’m a geek. I enjoyed it. But in terms of a vacation for our parents, it really wasn’t.

After my depression last year, I made a concentrated effort this year to play. Share on X

After my depression last year, I made a concentrated effort this year to play. But I had to do some clearing away first. Our vacation in June, to Florida was a visit to our past in many ways. Yes, we visited my sister, but we visited a few old friends and a lot of old places we lived too.

Getting back to play time with my fabric in the form of quilted projects

More recently, after doing some big projects around the house, I have been playing. My play has consisted of doing some quilting. It has been a lot of fun! I made a set of placemats last week and this week I’m making a table runner. I have enjoyed the creative outlet with simple projects and even some colors I don’t usually use. (Black is very unusual for me!) I have been experimenting with precuts as well and it simplifies the project quite a bit!

My play has consisted of doing some quilting. It has been a lot of fun! Share on X

I have a quilter whose tutorials I love to watch. They are short and easy. They also give lots of great ideas! I have a new ruler that will help me make a fun design now as well so I’m looking forward to some more things to do in the future.

So in between my other responsibilities, I have enjoyed my play. It cheers me up when I can look at something I created and see it finished. This is the top. I still have to figure out what I’ll do with the back. Then I’ll put them together.

a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Ecclesiastes 3:3-4

 

**This is the closest Scripture I could find to playing, but it includes much of what is included in playing: healing, building up, laughter and dancing. The Old Testament is full of the concept of rest included in the Sabbath concept that we ignore to our peril. We don’t have to follow all the literal Sabbath rules, but we need to take the concept of having a Sabbath rest seriously. We need to pause for worship, for time with our family, for exercise to “rest” our body.