Youth in a Barrel, Who Knew?

Eyes puffy and swollen from lack of sleep, she searched her mind for clarity. But her mind kept returning to the kitchen table where a small barrel full of wooden shapes now resided. What on earth had possessed her to purchase it and why had it kept her up all night?

Yesterday she was strolling the aisles of her local Peddlers Mall when a lonely barrel had caught her eye. Sitting there tucked away on the floor, partially hidden by a pair of gaudy drapes, she had seen the bottom rim. Without hesitating she placed the small barrel in her cart to purchase, three dollars was deal and so she took her barrel home.

Dinner over, the remnants cleaned and put away, she finally sat down to relax. Closing, then slowly opening her eyes she gazed upon the barrel. There it was, just sitting on the floor in front of her, as if to say, “Pick me up, explore the treasure you now own,”  “Why not?” She thought.

For hours she explored the wooden contents of the barrel, affording herself the privilege of letting her imagination run wild. Creating, arranging, then un-arranging; the exploration took way longer than she had anticipated.

As she awoke the next morning, reliving the night before and all the pleasures of the barrel, nagging questions crossed her mind. “At what age does complexity replace simplicity, at what age do possessions replace childhood toys and at what age do we forget to play?” No answers raised their hands.

The barrel she had purchase was a simple set of tinker toys and if only for one night the simplicity had returned. The new possession she had purchased was a child’s toy and the reason for her lack of sleep? She had spent the night playing.

What ever our age, what ever our journey, whether you are in a valley or on a high; I urge you afford yourself the luxury to play. This weekend make yourself seek out one simple, non-adult toy and play. You might be surprised at the simplicity you find when play turns a frown upside down.

Now, I’m off to find that taboo game of “Lawn Darts.” They caught my thieves and I want to invite them to a friendly game of Lawn Darts; of course I’ll be competing without my glasses.

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