Grownups need to play, too!

The importance of play for children is well documented, but “Why it’s good for grown-ups to go play” is the title of Jennifer Wallace’s article in The Washington Post (Health & Science section, May 23, 2017). “How we play as adults is as unique to an individual as a fingerprint, and could mean collecting stamps, tossing a football, reading a book or climbing Mt. Everest,” says psychiatrist Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play in Carmel Valley, Calif. Of course its headquarters are in California.

Playful adults have the ability to transform everyday situations, even stressful ones, into something entertaining, says Lynn Barnett, a professor at the University of Illinois.

My great-aunt Dot, who lived 97 years, loved to play! When she was the bailiff for a judge in an Arizona county court, she made her boss a birthday cake. It was beautifully decorated, but when the judge cut the first slice, his knife became embedded in a cardboard box. Her picture made the local paper when she gaveled in the judge with her high-heeled shoe.

I recall teaching at an elementary school years ago, with a young staff and a challenging student body. I was invited to attend an after-school activity called Bunco. When these women played this dice game, they forgot about trying to raise test scores; their happy faces grinned, and they hollered and clamored to win so they might be rewarded to wear the victory hat, a Cat in the Hat complete with mammoth red pom-poms.

Retirees in my area are joining in the fun. Bingo. Poker. Phase 10. Words with Friends. Mahjong. There are weekly games at the clubhouse. Recently, we have started playing dominoes with neighbors. During the train version, I got to push a button in the center of the table and hear a train whistle through my dining room.

Last summer I visited a park in Blue Ash, Ohio, and was so excited to see large swings made especially for adults. I had to wait my turn.

Jennifer Wallace’s article says, “play isn’t just about goofing off; it can reduce stress and contribute to overall well-being.”

I will never forget visiting a friend’s home in Flagstaff, because there was a slide extending from the second-floor window of the master bedroom to the backyard below. Imagine beginning each day by sliding down the chute.

Maybe yelling Wheeeeee! all the way down. This was not an option offered by my builder.

My teenage daughter and I used to hide gummy bears in each other’s bedrooms as a means of communication. It was easier than having conversations. I don’t know who started it, but for months on end, we tried to outdo one another’s hiding places.

The toe of a shoe, the center of the inside of a pillowcase, inside a box of tissues. It went on for years, and the other day I found a 15-year-old gummy in the bottom of her old jewelry box. I’m saving it for her Christmas stocking. Heehee!