I Was Thinking... Let’s Play

When we were children, it wasn’t uncommon to knock on a neighbor’s door and ask if Tommy, Bobby, or Susie could come out to play. That’s what kids did, they played. It was a way to socialize and learn. From infancy to the time you got older, you played.
For most people of my generation, at a certain age your parents also started to infringe on your play time with something called chores. Especially if you lived on a farm like I did, once you were old enough, there were things you were expected to do. But still there was usually more than enough time to just play.
While most kids just couldn’t wait to “grow up,” that also brought less time for play and more time for responsible activities, usually defined as work. School work, part-time jobs, and finally a full-fledged career and less and less time for play.
Being an adult meant you put play away and took on the responsibilities of adulthood. You might get in a round of golf, go bowling or get to fish once in a while, but you had to fit that around your adult responsibilities. Those “play things” had to be scheduled around the “important” things in life. You had a job, you had a house to maintain, you were on several committees, you had your own kids to take care of and there was always a list of things you needed to get around to.
Play again was a thing for kids, not adults. Play became something you did on vacation when you got away for a little while.
The problem with play was it took time to schedule. You had to get a tee time to golf, haul the boat to a lake or river to fish, or wait for the scheduled softball game. Even if your play was hunting, playing tennis, or biking, you needed to find a significant amount of time to engage in your play. But with the advent of our digital age, play can now be fit into even the shortest of times.
Play used to involve things like golf clubs, fishing gear, a bat and ball or some type of other equipment. You might have a duffle bag, tackle box, or a bowling bag with ball and shoes.
But now your playing equipment may be in your purse or pocket. It is often the multipurpose device we call a phone. This electronic marvel allows us to call, text, photograph, and check the wide world of the internet.
This magical apparatus also is our connection to all kinds of games right at our fingertips. We can play anywhere. Waiting for an appointment at a clinic, play solitary. Waiting for a movie to start, play candy crush. Impatient with how long an oil change is taking, start a game of cribbage. The number of games available in the digital world seems to be unending. No matter where we are, if we have a couple minutes, we can play.
So, what used to be an activity reserved more for children, adults now have the capability almost anytime they have a free moment, or even when they don’t.
When I was a kid, I can’t count the number of times I was told, “You can play as soon as you get your work done.” I was expected to finish my schoolwork or chores before I could play. Most businesses generally operate by that same rule. At your job you work, after your job you can play.
But since most operations today are internet connected, games, puzzles, and internet distractions are just a click away. The number of productive hours lost to fantasy sports, Facebook posts, and solving the latest Wordle puzzle are incomprehensible. Apparently, playing isn’t just for kids anymore.
 
Did You Ever Wonder? — If you enjoy wasting time, is that time really wasted?