My wonderful sister's wonderful friend Manny sent me a link to an article called "Play Your Way to a Better Life!" It is what I can only call a wonderful article. Who knew? Who'd think to look to the eDiets website for anything about fun? And who'd imagine that there would be an article of this depth and clarity? The author, Hara Marano, is to be congratulated (I'd do it myself if I could find his/her email address), especially for interviewing play scholar Gary Chick.

For example:

"...there is...evidence that play does much more. It may in fact be the highest expression of our humanity. Play appears to allow our brain to exercise its flexibility, to maintain and perhaps renew the multiplicity of nerve connections that embody our human potential to adapt to meet the challenges life throws at us.

"Play is an activity distinguished by having no goals at all. But the irony is that play has the power to re-energize our life and motivate us afresh to meet whatever goals we set. We are made for play. And we are most human when we play.

"Like art, play is that experience that is almost impossible to define because it encompasses infinite variability. But we all recognize play when we see or experience it."

And:

"How we play is related in many ways to our core sense of self. Play is an exercise in self-definition; it reveals what we choose to do, not what we have to do. We play the way we are. And the ways we could be. Play is our best connection to pure possibility."

Great stuff!
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