Play

When I think of play what comes to mind is the outdoors- getting stuck in thick mud on the beach, climbing trees, hide and go seek in the grass, and secret hideouts beneath bushes. Often the games I would play with my brother or friends were elaborate, ongoing role plays- we would be feuding sorcerers or magical princesses, mother and naughty children, space traveling animals, or doctor and patient. These games had the same appeal as a movie or book, investment in the characters that we played, with the added interest of the social dynamic. Who would decide what happened next, who could imagine the most engaging event. There was also a sense of autonomy and independence that came from our games, they were completely separate from the world of adults and the failure or success of them was all our own. I had a doll with which I liked to tell my brother "scary stories" and I felt very important as he sat next to me and watched me speak. I remember the disappointment with which I first began to notice the waning attraction of such games, I wanted them to be fun and continued to play long after I'd lost the ability to become absorbed In pretending to be a talking cat. I clung to them because they were so easily rewarding, I could share them with anyone and needed nothing more than my own imagination to carry them out successfully.