Her Unique Glow

So, this week

started as any other week - my lovely friend and I took my pups out for a walk!

Now their excitement just to get outside and sniff the world beyond, is always apparent – You can’t escape getting caught up in their little jumps and spins as soon as the shoes are picked up off the floor and put on. Now, as I’ve said, you always notice how excited they are as it happens EVERY single time (I mean it got to a stage where now the word ‘walk’ spurs a mass hysteria of excitement in our household), but this particular Monday morning, some part of me took extra notice of this excitement. I couldn’t help but start laughing myself as I looked at their goofy and exhilarated faces, bouncing endlessly towards the door – I mean, it was just fantastic. Their energy was so uplifting to me and it was perhaps exactly what my body needed at that moment.

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It wasn’t until I got to Brownies that evening that I realised why this morning had given me that boost that I was so in need for – it all came down to that one word, PLAYING. I watched the little group of Brownies that we have in our pack (just to quickly clarify for those who don’t know, I’m talking about girl guides, not a lovely chocolate dessert!) just running around, laughing and totally excited for this weekends little camping trip. Again, there was so much excitement in that hall, that positive energy was just everywhere to be found. No one would have left that hall in a dull mood, let me tell you that. In that moment, I realised something:

“When we become adults, we forget to PLAY.”

Don’t get me wrong, I know quite a few of us allow for ‘me time’ and ‘date nights’ but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the let your hair down, laugh till your tummy hurts, jumping up and down with your friend’s kind of playing!

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I’m going to quickly rewind a little here. So half way through this Brownie meeting another guider and myself were hiding a few chocolate eggs for an Easter egg hunt for the girls, when we just decided to imitate Dory’s friend Bailey (out of the movie – Finding Dory) by basically making continuous high pitched ‘Ooooooooooh’ noises around the room. Now to most adults I totally get that this seems a little immature and a bit odd, but to us it was totally hilarious, and made even funnier by finding out that EVERYONE had heard us! But it was fantastic, because I realised that this particular Monday had been trying to tell me something:

“That I just need to play more!”

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When was the last time you just played with your friends?

I get that becoming adults means more responsibility and being ‘mature’, but when did that start meaning we have to stop playing? Who’s that really helping here? Yes it means we work and look after a house and get stuff done, but then what? We have a cup of tea with a friend, or a lunch date or go to the cinema. Again, I love doing all of those things, but then where’s the time to just have fun and play with our friends and just be silly? Think back to when you were a teenager and life wasn’t so serious – I remember spending hours and hours just messing around and laughing insanely and it was great! This Monday reminded me of how much fun letting go can be. Forget what other’s might say or how you may be perceived, because we all have those ‘silly’ friends who we can have a good time with.

So I want you to make a play-date for yourself this week!

Hang out with those who make you laugh and do something totally hilarious. Laugh until your sides hurt, smile until your face feels frozen or even run around until your lungs get sore. It’s all in good fun and rather than just having a ‘good’ time, have an absolutely fantastically awesome time that will leave you feeling exhilarated! I mean, why not right? What is there to lose?

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Life is so serious and it’s so easy to get carried along on that ‘serious’ train right until the end, probably because it’s the train that so many of us seem to be on now a days. For some reason being mature has been linked with being serious, and that sucks! Well, let me tell you:

“You can still be mature and be free to have ‘immature’ fun at the same time!”

It gives us a new boost of energy because all of that laughter fills us up with positive energy, which at the end of the day is what we are all aiming for. I love the expression:

“you can’t pour from an empty cup.”

Well playing and having fun actually fills our cup up and we need to do it more often. My little pups get so excited by their walks because they know it’s their time to play! Hell, my walking bud and I sure get excited too as we know we will end up laughing the whole time. The Brownies are SUPER excited about their overnight stay. Why? Because they know they are going to have FUN!

So that’s it, make that play date and go have some fun. We need to remember what it’s like to just let go and laugh for no particular reason, whether it’s only for half an hour or the whole day!

What’s life without a little bit of sparkle?

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