BACK AWAY FROM THE VACUUM AND ...

GO OUT  AND PLAY   
By Margaret Renkl

Are you so grown up that you've forgotten how to laugh and be silly? News flash: Playtime is good for you. So ditch the boring-adult act and START HAVING FUN!

JOIN THE KIDS
One Christmas my children were begging me to play Guitar Hero with them. They were all thinking, "She'll never play with us," but I jumped in and loved it. It made me feel like a kid again.
Plus as it turned out, it prepped me for a party where the adults decided to play. My rehearsal time showed -- and my reputation as "Guitar Hero Queen" still rocks the neighborhood.
     Christine Ives, Morrison, Colorado

LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF
Recently I invited several good friends of mine to a psychic reading at my house. We laughed so hard! It was the closest thing to a silly up-all-night slumber party I've had in years.
     Leslee Hare, Rome, Georgia

BE SPONTANEOUS
It was early morning and a half inch of snow covered my driveway. I ventured out in my power wheelchair and began to do doughnuts--three times around to the left, three times around to the right. I dribbled snow all through the house, but it was so worth it. My 15-year-old was jealous.
     How often does that happen?
     Becky Galli, Lutherville, Maryland

HIT THE SWINGS
I was out for a run one day when I passed by a playground and decided to liven things up. Channeling my inner 5-year-old, I hit every swing and play structure out there. It was a blast! I jogged away with a smile on my face and vowed to do it again.
     Caroline Fitzgerald, Kennebunk, Maine

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS
I meet once a month to scrapbook with a group of childhood friends. When we were kids we'd meet at the park. Now our playground is the craft room.
     Teresa Fulton, Colleyville, Texas

Too silly? Think again!
Playfulness can help you through hard times.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!
If your playground skills are rusty, try these tips for reconnecting with your inner child.

REMEMBER WHAT YOU LOVED PLAYING AS A KID AND LOOK FOR AN ADULT EQUIVALENT
If you enjoyed class skits in grade school, take an acting class; if you couldn't get enough Scrabble, try your hand at Sudoku.

MIND YOUR GAPS
If you spend your day with other people, look for opportunities for solitary play, and vice versa, advises Tevis Trower, a corporate consultant for work-life balance based in New York City.

MAKE PLAY DATES
Block out time on the calendar for playtime, with others or alone. If It's on the to-do-list, it won't feel like you're playing hooky.

BE SILLY
"Playing is more of a state of mind for my husband and me," says Susan Wilson, an executive trainer in Stevensville, Michigan. "We'll take off our skis and slide on our rears down a hill, for example, or one of us will start a how-many-peas-can-you-fit-in-your-mouth contest."

JOIN A GROUP
Anna Gray Hart, a preschool teacher in Pearland, Texas, loves her monthly Bunko game. "Twelve of us roll dice, drink cocktails and exchange stories. I get to reconnect with the party girl inside me."

JUST SAY YES
Bienvenu, a computer programmer in Birmingham, realized she'd been turning down invitations and putting fun last, behind tasks like dishes and laundry. "Since then I've said yes to skiing, camping and bouncing in a moon bounce. I'm having so much fun."

These are a few excerpts from 'GO OUT AND PLAY'
     LADIES' HOME JOURNAL  MAY 2010

As you can tell by now - I find many interesting and helpful
articles in their magazines. Hope you are enjoying them too.