"We are seeking the experience of being alive. The difficulty is that for us to find it, we must not be afraid of life."

"Play teaches that I have a choice beyond survival and contesting with the world. This choice to thrive is based on a trust in the power to love and to give this love unconditionally at the moment of attack, and after the worst of atrocities. The choice to be neither an aggressor nor a victim increases my opportunities exponentially. Only when I stop my dependence on self-defense can I begin to thrive. There is no safety in such a fearful, contest world that leaves little or no room for living the miracle of love. When we thrive we feel loved and are able to give love. Fear may impel us to survive, but it is love that propels us to feel alive, sustains our vitality, and restores our humanity. We are seeking the experience of being alive. The difficulty is that for us to find it, we must not be afraid of life."

Fred Donaldson, Peace is Child's Play

from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith

"because we could do nothing we were everything"

After a long silence, I sent an email to an old friend, Chris Newham. I mentioned that we had moved to Indianapolis.

Here's his response:

"I was last in Indianapolis nearly 30 years ago, stranded in drifting snow at a Sheraton m/hotel on I90 (?). I remember waking up to find the snow was halfway up my ground floor bedroom window. There was something quite peaceful about the place - everyone was resigned to letting go of their busy schedules - because we could do nothing we were everything."

from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith

"Laughter is deep. Play is the TAO."

I found a little article in a site called "Good Life Zen. And though I am no Buddhist, the article made me go back to what I've, from time to time, called my Playful Path. Compare and share. It is worth the laugh.

"When we laugh we forget ourself. All our precious ideas of who we are fall away for a moment. When we poke gentle fun at ourselves, all self-importance disappears. That’s where play and spirituality converge. Tao is an ancient word for a spiritual path. To forget oneself and get lost in the present is a spiritual state of being. Both play and meditation can help us taste the freedom of being present.

"Some think that people on a spiritual path should be serious. Wrong! Laughter is deep. Play is the Tao."

from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith