The Ultimate Secret to Youth

How playing keeps us young and happy

Sebastian and I were on our way for our favorite coconut cold brew at a local coffee shop when we started talking about our favorite summer activities as children.

His favorite was building model cars and rockets, setting them off outside with the neighborhood kids.

My favorite was chasing butterflies around the garden with my grandmother, using my net to capture them and keep them in my little butterfly cage.

Two activities that children barely do nowadays, let alone adults.

When was the last time you saw a kid and their friends playing kickball in the streets or riding bikes? When was the last time you saw adults doing this?

As a society, we are losing the joy of play, especially playing outside. Technology keeps us locked up in our homes, under artificial light, disconnected from our community.

At one point, we couldn’t socialize if we didn’t leave our house and find people around us to play with. Now, we use our phones to artificially connect with others, stealing the satisfaction of a close-knit community.

I recently read this quote somewhere and it really resonated with me:

“We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing”.

- George Bernard Shaw

Have you noticed that some of the most joyful, youthful people are ones that are not young in age, but young in spirit? The ability to laugh and play is the greatest sign of youth.

An older woman can have a face full of wrinkles (or wisdom lines as I like to call them) but the most radiating smile and she will look youthful.

We become old and rigid not as the years go by, but as we lose the lust for life we had as children. We are no longer fascinated by nature, we no longer express our creativity through art projects, and we no longer follow our curiosities. This is what ages us the most.

Why do adults stop playing?

As we grow older, we face responsibilities. As teenagers, we need to get good grades in school and clean our rooms. As adults, we must focus on feeding ourselves and paying the bills.

However, we trade responsibilities for fun because of how the adults around us act. Most of our parents traded in their hobbies and enjoyment to care for us. Instead of seeing them enjoying their life, we watched them sacrifice it to give us a good childhood.

While I am very grateful to my parents, it’s easy to think life always has to be this way. To believe that as we grow up and begin our own families, we must sacrifice our pleasure and youthfulness. I don’t think it has to be this way.

In elementary school, my sister and I would play with Barbies and Polly Pockets with my grandmother. She would enjoy playing with the toys just as much as us, creating stories for our different characters. She would run around the yard, catching butterflies with us. She radiated love and youth because she was connected with her inner child.

I always look back and think about her infectious smile and joy because of this. I don’t know about you, but this is how I want my grandchildren to remember me.

How to add play into your life

If you do these types of activities with your children (playing “house”, painting, running around the yard, etc.), they can help bring child-like joy back into your life.

And if you don’t yet have children, try to find ways to integrate activities you enjoyed as a kid back into your everyday life.

I recently signed up for a painting class as a way to connect with my inner artist, something I loved doing as a kid. Showing up every week to a classroom, painting with other people who also enjoy art, was a great reminder of how good it feels to be creative.

Something like an art class also reminds you of how rewarding it is to create something with your hands. It’s impossible to get into a state of flow and feel the same satisfaction with anything you do on the computer.

In fact, I signed up for another art class this summer, this time learning the art of stained glass. Going forward, I plan to take a different art class every season.

Other ways to add play into your life:

• trying and failing at a new yoga pose like a headstand or handstand

• fishing at a nearby lake

• baking something from scratch

• running around the yard with your dogs

• writing a poem

• making jewelry with your friends

• drawing a birthday card instead of buying one

• making a flower arrangement

Take action: Sebastian and I recently through an Italian summer-themed dinner party for our friends. I wanted to do more than eat and drink, so I came up with a fun activity. I provided card stock and colored pencils and had everyone create a summer bucket list!

It was cool to see how it created conversation among the group, and how each person’s turned out very different. Everyone loved the activity and had a lot of fun drawing and being intentional about their summer plans.

Sometime this week, take the time to write (and draw) out your summer bucket list. This is a great activity to do with other adults, or even with your children. Get creative with it!

Feel free to reply to this email with a picture of your drawing or one thing you are looking forward to doing this summer.

Happy Sunday!

Madison