Play

This past Sunday was "Oscar Night". If you missed it, it was actually a pretty good show this year. Hugh Jackman was an incredible host - he is a true triple threat and was singing and dancing and making jokes. Plus he is just darn cute. But I digress...

Every year when the Oscar's come on I get a little nostalgic. When I was growing up my Mom and Dad would host an Oscar Night party every year. While the "grown-ups" ate dinner and watched the show in the den, my brother Van and I would watch from up in the playroom. There was always a ton of yummy food, people cheering and booing over who won and who lost, and Van and I were allowed to stay up way past our bedtime!

As you can probably guess, movies were a big part of my life growing up. We loved watching movies, in the theaters, at home. I can remember seeing the first Batman movie (circa 1989) with Mom, Dad & Van on the weekend that it opened, while we were down at the beach. My Dad often took me on "Daddy-Daughter Dates" and we would have lunch and see a movie together. A couple of weeks ago we even had a mini-date of Chick-fil-a and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" on his new blu-ray player and in 3D! (Btw, if you have double vision, you must place 3D glasses over your prism glasses in order for 3D to work properly! haha)

Okay, Caroline. I get it. You like movies.
But that's not the real point here. Keep reading...

It's about escapism. Getting away from it all.
Turning your mind off for a little while.
Maybe your thing isn't movies. Maybe it's Rock Band or the Wii, or tennis or golf. Maybe it's scrapbooking or chasing your kids around in the yard.
It's about playing.

The National MS Society puts out a wonderful magazine called "Momentum". The latest issue just arrived last week and this excerpt caught my eye:
"We defined play as something that could make us feel happy, joyful or cheerful. Some members said that play made them feel more alive; others said it helped them take pleasure in small things. I forget that I have MS when I play." -Nancy Chamberlayne

But this isn't just about MSers! We all need to play more. Because Nancy is right- playing makes you forget about the things that are stressing you out the most. It gives you a mental health break, gives your mind a mini-vacation from all those things that keep you up at night.

In the recent past I have found myself using a phrase that came out of nowhere. I think it originally started with babies: Being able to give Paul & Karen's new baby Courtney her bath "filled my soul with joy". Going to visit Jennifer, Vince, Lola & Lucy "fills my soul with joy". I love playing with babies. I also really enjoy sitting in my office (aka Craft Room) and making homemade cards for people's birthdays. I still love going to the movies. I like to color with crayons. I find baking very relaxing. I love to dance, even though it is harder to do nowadays. I love watching my Pace and HSPS kids perform. I enjoy being a college student again and learning new things. The list goes on...

The older we get the more important it is to make time to play.
I am lucky to have so many things and people that fill my soul with joy and even have the power to make me forget I have MS for a little while. :-)