When I look back at the times I’ve written about play (for example here, and here), it seems I come back to that theme when life gets hard. Life feels hard in the U.S. this week. When my parents and grandparents told me stories of World War II, I never imagined I’d see torch-bearing Nazis in the streets here. Yet here we are. Friends and colleagues and young people wonder what comes next. So do I.
So, why do I come back to play? Play builds our capacity to problem solve, to understand others, to empathize, to build teams. Play supports resilience and imagination and hope. If we let it, play can bring unlikely people together. Play helps build dreams. So, for today, here’s just a bit of inspiration, courtesy of a troupe of clowns and musicians who bring play to some most un-playful places. May we do as well for the young people in our charge. Better things begin with vision. And I think that begins with play.
Want to read more about these Amazing Humans? Here are more details in The Guardian and a link to the Flying Seagull Project’s website.
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