10/5/00
I want to play again. As I sit here inside the Burger King, I glance outside the window. What I see brings a smile to my face, and to my soul. There are two boys, both approximately ten years old, playing in the maze. I can't help but wonder what thoughts run through their heads, as they slide down the big, red tube and jump around in the ball bin. As the red, green, yellow and blue plastic balls randomly fly around, I think about something. In five short years, their thoughts will turn to girls and cars (and girls in cars!), and the mere mention of having even been in the ball bin once upon a time will turn their faces crimson, as their parents recant the story to their dates.
In another five years, today's playtime will seem like
an eternity ago to them. Give them ten more years, and those two boys will
be watching their two boys in the ball bin, having become responsible
men, and they will wonder why they never "play" anymore. Oh sure, there's
the church softball team, the bowling league and the occasional game of frustration
(I'm sorry. golf), but that's not really playing.
You see, the spirit of competition overshadows the fun.
It's not a game anymore; it's a contest. This would be ok, except that in
any contest, there are winners and there are losers. Hello? What happened to the fun? When you lose, that's
not any fun. However when you win, it's not fun either. Oftentimes, the price
that victory demands is so high, that fun and fairness go by the wayside.
Even if that doesn't occur, you're tense because you know that your opponent
will try even harder next time.
Now, I'm not saying that perseverance and dedication are
such evil entities; I'm just saying that perhaps we try too hard for the wrong
things. Perhaps it's time to rethink our priorities. If I want that much effort
and stress in my life, I'll just stay at work longer!!
Part of the problem is that, as adults, we are not allowed to play. We're supposed to be responsible, mature etc. Well BUNK!! I say that we slow down our life's hectic pace and let our inner child catch up; remember, he has little legs.
No one ever lay on their deathbed complaining about not
spending enough time at work or being competitive. I miss that inner child.
Sometimes, when I push the pause button on the remote control of this thing
I call my life, I can still hear that inner child. Do you know what I hear?
I hear him say, "I want to play."