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Lately, I’ve been surprised through my assumptions.  I guess by this age, I thought I could assume a lot of things about life.  Luckily, this is not so!

Recently, I went to a two day retreat and thought I knew what I was getting myself into.  Not exactly, but I thought I knew where this retreat would lead me next.  Of course, that did not happen.

Instead, I learned something surprising.  I learned that I have not forgotten how to play.  In fact, not only have I not forgotten how to play but it is second nature.  I learned that “imaginative play” is like “coming home” for me.

Living in my imagination was not just about having fun growing up but a coping skill I learned as a child.  A way to escape the chaos that surrounded me.  I could escape to different worlds and become different people.  For instance, I could spend hours playing on a simple log and turning it into a balance beam that would turn into an Olympic competition which would in turn win me the gold medal!  Of course, the irony at the time was that I t didn’t consider myself “playing” but rather living out a reality that I wanted so badly to be true.

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