May we equally value creative play, exploration and expression and not fear "being wrong" in all levels and all stages of life.

When we first begin to learn it is through play and exploration that we develop and understand the world within us and around us.  They are not separate.  We see, touch, hear, taste and smell things that give us a new sensation and feeling in the body; they are connected to one another.  Seeing a smiling face as a baby we feel a sense of joy in the body and an association with the "good" feelings.  Falling while exploring how to walk and bumping our head, we make an association with discomfort, the "bad" feelings.  Yet we tirelessly continue to explore, play and express fearlessly without the out of tune vibration of worry distracting us, freezing us, or numbing us.  What if there was no good and what if there was no bad?  What if we placed as much energy to cultivating positive thoughts, JOY, PLAY and WISDOM from exploration as we do on obsessively needing to know everything, to be right about everything, to be perfect at everything and linear minded in all things?  Just what if we value creativity as equally as we value the linear process, what would we find?  Why do we think that being linear and serious is a sign of being grown up?   I hope to never grow up in that sense. I hope to always find JOY and FUN especially in learning.  If we know everything and how everything will turn out how boring and tasteless life would be as there is nothing else to learn or to explore or create!  Why do we not value play, creativity, and art in schools?  Why?  Is there not math in music or dance is there not science in moving your body or Newton's laws present in playing a game or history is painting your version of the Mona Lisa? I believe there is all of those things.  Even problem solving skills, communication skills, and the skill to understand that YES sometimes things are uncomfortable for a moment until when adjust to a new way of thinking, feeling, being and that you will be ok.  You will be ok. You are not wrong.  You are not going to explode and be thrown from the planet.  You are ok and have now developed a way to soothe yourself that is priceless and nurturing not only to yourself but to all of us.   Isn't it a blast when you have that special teacher that gets you on your feet to learn something or that creates a rhythmic jingle to remember the planets or even just takes you outside to teach the next lesson to hear the sounds that surround?  Learning without knowing just how deeply you really are learning.  Don't you remember those lessons and teachings most or a least have a moment occasionally where you were so grateful that the person valued another way?   Is it really less important to develop a creative outlet for oneself to reconnect to what they feel and express in a healthy way whatever that feeling is?  Whether your initial love was for movement, music, painting, digging in the dirt, kicking a ball around, reading a fantasy book or biography or just being with loved ones, take time to play and explore the lightness, the creative grounding that can occur when we allow all parts of ourselves to be of value and of service. It is priceless. It is your JOY.  Maybe today you will notice the play, the dance of the wind over skin, the shimmers of light that effortlessly make it through the trees and connect to the feeling of JOY all around you.  There are so many ways.

So the WEEKLY WISH!  May we equally value creative play, exploration and expression in all levels  and all stages of life.

---

Joyfully,
Jess

~special thanks to my awesome nephew and nieces for reminding me to play.  I hope you never stop!