Happiness is Playdates

Does anyone miss playing like a little kid? I know I watch the little ones run around with their toys or simply picking up a stick and using it like a sword, and I miss that kind of play. So it was pretty wonderful to have a friend agree to get together recently and call it a playdate. A what date? I was like, oh, I totally love that. 

Happiness is playdates. Who knew?

Being an adult can be fun, but all of my “dates” involve dinner, drinks, coffee, tea, lunch, or movies. Does this sound familiar? There’s not a lot of playing. 

But today, when my friend and I met, we headed to the woods. I don’t know that we played so much as allowed our imaginations to roam. We noticed sap that looked like amber coming from a dark knot in a tree. We took a moment to be in awe of the yellow leaves still clinging to a species of tree, making the copse look as if dotted with a thousand little suns. We picked up rocks and branches that were cool. And we talked. Simple companionship. Watched the crows cry out in the pines. Followed the red tail of a cardinal into the brush.

Our imaginations were open and alive. And for me, that’s definitely a form of play. I even climbed up a tree partway to grab a piece of amber sap for my friend. I miss climbing trees, one of my favorite childhood past times.

I wondered, when have we gotten so serious? When did we forget how to play? Kids bring it out in us, but not too many adults it seems. So I’m calling in more playdates. More fun afternoons spent with a friend, letting our imaginations take over and our spirits soar. 

Sometimes you don’t need a playground. You only need good company and an invigorating landscape like the woods.

What about you? Anyone else up to a playdate? It might just make you happy.