The Usefulness of Play

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This is a repost of something I published on 11/3/2021. Heads up – you may have already read this.

In 2006 I went to a book reading and slide show by legendary alpine climber Ed Viesturs. He’d just published his book about summiting the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters (26,26 feet) without supplemental oxygen, No Shortcuts to the Top and my friends and I had a front row seat for his show.

We were there early watching as he got his slide show ready. Ed came off the stage that was about 2 ½ feet above the level of the auditorium floor to fix the angle of the projector and then walked around to climb the stairs back onto the stage. As he did this when it would have been so easy for him to jump up, I joked, “No shortcuts to the top” and we howled in laughter.

There’s a famous story about Ed getting to the central summit (8,008m or 26,273 feet) of Shishapangma in Tibet and looking across the 100 meters of knife-edge climbing to get to the true summit that was a few meters higher in elevation (8,027m or 26,335 feet). He was by himself and decided it was too dangerous so he went home without summitting. Then he returned 8 years later to do it all again, this time shimmying across the knife ridge to get there.

So Ed has earned the reputation of being the boyscout of the climbing world and perhaps it’s no surprise he’d live out the motto of no shortcuts to the top. But I’ve revisited that scene in my head again and again when pondering the consistency of life on and off the mountain or more generally speaking, consistency between who we are at play versus “real” life.

I was recently moved to think differently about play by an interview I heard with Nikki Giovanni, the poet laureate of Virginia Tech. She said that her “grandmother didn’t waste anything. There was nothing that came into her kitchen that she didn’t find a use for.” Then she continued, “I feel the same way about experiences and words. Nothing is wasted.”

Looking back on the things that I’ve chosen as my hobbies, I see that they have not just been pastimes but instead the proving grounds to work through ideas and attributes that I would come to and continue to need.

When I took up amateur mountain climbing in my late 20’s, I thought it was a way to see the world from a different viewpoint. Now I see it was a way to build my endurance to push through in those moments when I’m physically exhausted, something I’ve needed a lot in these early years of parenting.

Rock climbing at the indoor climbing gym was a way to get a workout and build upper body strength. There is almost always a move, the crux move, on a route that requires flexibility and faith to push through, bending your body in a way that allows you to reach past the obstacle or overhang without seeing the next hold. Now I see it as a physical way to practice the ability to move through the many challenging changes and tough transitions in life.

Recently I got a mosaic art kit for my daughter so that she could create designs by gluing small pieces of colored glass near each other. It was so fun that I’ve started doing it myself. It has very little to do with what I create and a great deal to do with seeing how all the small things in life come together to create the arc of life.  

Here’s what I’ve come to believe: that play helps simulate the tough moments of life when you have to make decisions, have faith and maybe even carry on in conditions when you are tired, hungry and feeling defeated. The choices we make in those situations carry through to the paths we follow in life. We build confidence and get to know ourselves one step at a time on the proving ground and then know how to live.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” We are what we practice, in play and in real life. Perhaps that’s how Ed Viesturs managed the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. By practicing who he was, on and off the stage.

I’ve posted on Wise & Shine Today about lessons I’ve learned from other bloggers about building a blogging platform. Please click over to Building a Platform if you are interested.

38 thoughts on “The Usefulness of Play”

  1. Indeed, such consistency is a rare commodity when it is not simply our rationalized way of justifying a less remarkable life. But your life, Wynne, demonstrates that this uncommon way of living is possible. Thank you.

    Liked by 3 people

  2. One of the things I find sad is that kids seem to have lost the joy of unstructured play as parents schedule every minute of every day. I agree that, in addition to providing a much-needed diversion from the daily stress of life, our hobbies can be such great learning opportunities. For me, singing helps improve my memory, and helps build fitness. When I look at my Fitbit after a two-hour band rehearsal, I’m amazed at the number of steps and the heart rate. Singing with others also builds collaboration skills, problem-solving (what to do when you forget your lyrics on stage) and so many other skills.

    As for blogging…well I could go on but I’ll save that for another day.

    Have a wonderful Wednesday, Wynne.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I love this comment, Michelle! Not to mention the relationships you build while being a choir leader and I bet you have great lung capacity! As an aside, my mom says her FitBit counts steps when she pedals the piano! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I like the idea of looking back and seeing g that we might choose a play or fun activity as something to help us work through life’s difficulties and help us gain the skills we need for real life, but I also like hobbies just for the fun of it! Years ago I had people pushing me to sell my art on all the art fair circuits that many artists and craftspeople do, but I realized that I needed my art and creativity to be my place of freedom to just have fun and be able to de-stress, instead of turning it into a full time production to pump out pieces to sell. Now, years later, I’m happy with my decision because my art has remained my private place to unwind and relax, instead of feeling stressed from the upcoming deadline of a big show.

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  4. The act of play is indeed wonderful, Wynne. It’s how young kids make sense of the world around them at a young age and I appreciate the kindergarten is all about play-based learning.

    We should find ways to incorporate play more into our work and personal lives. They are a great way to think through our problems and find creative solutions around them!

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    1. This makes me think of the stuffy funerals that T performs and how you help him “play” it out. Yes, finding creative solutions and thinking through our problems – so well said!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. The current generation do not want the kids to learn on their own. Making mistakes is how we learn. By the way I am so scared of heights but I love reading all about your climbing experiences 😊.

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    1. I couldn’t agree more about making mistakes being how we learn. It’s not so fun sometimes – but wow, those lessons stick, don’t they.

      I love your note about being afraid of heights, Ganga. I’m a little afraid of heights too but maybe climbing has helped me “play” my way out of that a bit.

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      1. I do not want to climb the Everest, but if I can comfortably look down from a window of an airplane I would be happy at this particular point! i think I should push myself. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Thanks Wynne. Great discussion starter!! For me, I’ve grown to find the distinction between ‘play’ and ‘real life’ increasingly blurred – that work, duty, chores, play, faith, parenting, self-care, companionship, compassion etc overlap in a big bundle we call ‘life’. Some times previously it has been convenient to compartmentalise; now I’m not so sure…

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  8. I am so glad that you are re-sharing older posts Wynne. There is so much wisdom in these and it is rare that I go back to read early posts from bloggers before I joined their respective reader circle. What a very basic but very true concept- that play gives us the opportunity to work through life lessons in a truly useful way. Test the waters so to speak, and then apply those lessons when and as we need them. Brilliant!

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  9. I totally loved your example about climbing and how that helped you to not only build upper body strength but also practice patience, which is needed for parenting. This is prompting me to look a little deeper at the I all the experiences I’ve had and the lessons I have learned so far.

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  10. Yes. Practicing – and including play as part of the practice – is leading me towards a more consistent approach to life. Fully agreed! Thanks for posting again!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. As I go through my Brown Deep Dive The Second, play has been on my mind but I haven’t landed on anything that I especially want to do, in that arena, right now. Mosaic art sounds pretty amazing, so–I’ve opened that seatch in another window, with thanks for the idea! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I love this: “We build confidence and get to know ourselves one step at a time on the proving ground and then know how to live.” I homeschooled my daughter for three years, grades six through eight. She loved to do mosaics then. That’s one of my happiest memories of those years. She’d make gifts of mosaic picture frames, keepsake boxes and name plates for friends and family members.

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  14. If we don’t take time to play and be silly, we face a joyless life – who would want that! I think Dr. Seuss was pretty smart, “Today, I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.”

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  16. I like what you said about play being essential- especially instructed play. Over my teaching career I saw a steady decrease in the amount of unstructured play kids participated in. This correlated to a decrease in their abilities to think, create and solve problems too. Unstructured play is crucial!

    Liked by 1 person

      2. That’s funny, Todd – I didn’t even notice and read it as you intended. Maybe our brains are getting used to auto-correcting too! 🙂

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