CHAPTER 3: PLAY
Play! Yes! We need a break after that work, seriously! If you’ve been following along the journey, there’s a consistent theme that’s right there in plain sight: Balance. Remember being a kid? We all couldn’t wait to get outside and play with our friends, toys, and games. As an adult, we look back with nostalgia and call it “childhood curiosity” or “naivete”, sometimes envying the freedom that we used to feel knowing that which we know now. Who said you ever truly needed to give that up? The joy of playing as an adult is that you get to choose what you do, where you go, who it’s with, and when! There’s that simple word again, Balance, knowing when and how you can play in a way that compliments life.
Everyone’s version of play is completely different, so our’s is definitely unique in its own right but it always suited every stage of life that we were in. It’s not about splurging at every corner that makes it count, it’s about the memories built together. One of our first adventures together was an impromptu Saturday day trip from our typically small NY apartment through beautiful forests for a fast-food fish sandwich! It didn’t matter the reason behind the trip, it was just something that we found out we enjoyed doing together, listing to music and chatting along taking in the sights and sounds around us. Living in NY gifted us with unlimited opportunities that kept sparking our passion for travel, an infinite swirl of cultures and traditions that were all within reach! The Mr introduced the Mrs to her first zeppole at the famous annual Italian Feast of San Gennaro and followed it up with a surprise dinner at a Malaysian restaurant that was right around the corner for an unforgettable night.
It seems like the formula for playing is always there, finding the time for it needs to be at the same level of importance as all the other aspects of our lives. We value both the time we take for work and the time we take for ourselves, imparting both aspects of our lives with equal tenacity and commitment. Unfortunately, you read that correctly, if there’s no commitment to stress-free time it’s likely to slip away from you unknowingly, why take that risk?
Date nights and special occasions, the hallmark holiday’s seem to have it backward, they only highlight those designated days that society and traditions brought about, but what about every day of life? What is it that makes you happy? Where can you let go? We do it in so many ways, traversing the rugged mountainscape in the Blue Mountains of Sydney, and finding a trail off the beaten path that opens to a cascading waterfall with natural infinity pool at the edge of the mountainside. These are the secret adventures that await us at every corner, they don’t require much in the materialistic sense, and you can take our word for it, they’ll be there if you just go out and find them!
The same respect and communication that we rely on when we built our foundation of love apply to how we relax. As two separate individuals, we’ve exposed one another to new hobbies and interests, even if only for support. The Mrs tends to have a fear of heights, but that doesn’t stop us from taking an all-glass tele-cabin that hangs high above the ground, the Mr would support us with laughter and patience…sometimes just holding a hand can be all you need to open your eyes to something beautiful!
We seek those moments every day, carving out time for a short walk with our morning coffee or dragging out the free-standing bag for a much-needed kickboxing session on the grass. We’ve been programmed to emphasize the importance and stress of “work” and “life” without understanding that the same amount of effort exerted for sustaining life must be made toward enhancing it! We don’t need to always seek out the same places or go far for an adventure when it's your choice to create the experience, even in your own home….break out that domino set over dinner and see where the night leads!