Do you play? I mean really play. Not doing something useful like “spending time with the kids” or “exercising” or “learning a new skill.” I mean play. Just having fun. Losing track of time in something that you do just for the sheer fun of it. Most of us have nearly lost this ability in our scramble to keep pace with our obligations.

I’m reading a great book on Sabbath by Mark Buchanan (The Rest of God). He provides a liberating view of what has often been interpreted as a “no fun” rule and turns it on its head. The idea is that we work and work and work at least 6 days a week. So one day a week we should just have fun! That is rest for us. Doing things that bring no added value.

We need to get back to playing. Playing makes us more alive. It makes us glad we are alive. It makes the rest of the striving that we do worth something. I think playing makes us more spiritual. It wakes up our spirit and strengthens our spirit.

So, when is the last time you played for a day? Not an hour. Not two. A whole day? What if you had a whole day every week to play? Would that change your life? It’s changing mine. A 1010 life is not about working to our fullest but living to our fullest. So live a little. Play a little.

No, play a lot!