Defining the Inner Playground

1. In the Dentist Office - wherein I discover the Inner Playground: (mp3)
2. The Inner Playground - defined
3. My Inner Inner City
4. My Own Private Hollywood
5. Part Two: Games for the Inner Player
6. Freeze Tag
7. Mother May I
8. Simon Says
9. Part Three: Building an Inner Playground
10. The Inner Seesaw
11. My Inner Swingset
12. Part Four: Introducing Serious and Silly
13. Serious and Silly (mp3)
14. Kick the Can

On the one hand there's nobody there but you. On the other, for example, when you're just sitting there thinking about nothing in particular, there's the distinct impression that there's at least one other you there: the you you think is doing the thinking, and the you you think you're thinking about.

This is not such a profound revelation. It's a quite common knowledge. Inside your head there are at least two completely equal, and only somewhat fictional selves. And each of your selves is you. Playing for real.

We all talk about it. We surprise ourselves. Love ourselves. Beat ourselves up. We fool ourselves, laugh with ourselves. Laugh at ourselves.

We talk to ourselves. Sing with ourselves.

We remind ourselves. We don't let ourselves forget. We drive ourselves harder. And we drive ourselves crazy.

We punish ourselves, arouse ourselves, abuse ourselves, delight ourselves.

We stop ourselves, deny ourselves, reward ourselves, deprive ourselves, We are proud of our selves, ashamed of ourselves.

And all the time we are just playing that there's somebody else there. Each of us.

This is what I'm referring to as the Inner Playground, where everything we can think of can happen, where any of ourselves can be pretended into being or not.

This is where we find ourselves playing when there is no there there. Where there's nobody there but us, ourself.