"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw

When was the last time you played or did something spontaneous that wasn’t scripted? Maybe you hung upside down on the monkey bars, flew a kite or pulled a harmless prank on someone. Most adults do not play enough. When I ask clients when they last did something fun, many say, “I don’t remember.” But ‘all work and no play’ doesn’t just make you dull; it can lead to ulcers. When not buzzing around making honey, even bumblebees play!

We humans are made to seek fun, but time has a way of knocking the joy smack out of us. Encouraging others to ‘lighten up’ is also not easy. I once had a father who wouldn’t play with his children because he felt, ’stupid sitting on the floor’; a mother who feared fingerpainting because it was ‘too messy’; and I continue to have couples who keep a tight leash on each other for fear their partner might have fun without them.

Research shows that play isn’t just about having fun, but it also includes, “taking risks, experimenting and testing boundaries.” It…