Week 4 .....take time to Play

Week 4

1. Visit a paint department at a hardware or building store.  Pick up paint chips as well as brochures.  Take them home and create a collage by tearing them…….not cutting, add other items.  Think about sharing your photo.
2. Roll the windows down in your vehicle & sing very loudly with the music
3. Go for a walk in your neighborhood & sniff the air, look for new growth……bulbs, flowers, grass, bugs.
4. Fly a kite.  Really go fly a kite.
5. Watch sunrise while sitting in the woods enjoying coffee & pastry
6. Just being.  NO CLOCK.  NO SCHEDULE. Eat when you want.  Nap when you want. Read when you want. Watch TV when you want. Go outside when you want. Children do this all the time……. Just be.
7. Glow in the dark hide n’ seek.  Purchase glow sticks from the dollar store or use flashlights, gather some people and head for an area to hide, that means hiding your glow stick so someone won’t find you.
8. Drive somewhere & stop whenever you want – it’s the journey, not the destination
9. Treasure every bite of a banana split!  Buy or make your own banana split…….loaded with whipped cream and all, then savor every spoon full.  Actually, I would prefer a Blizzard…Skor to be exact!!!
10. Read a child’s book.

 

Week 3 ...Dare to take time

Week 3

1. Go to the art store with only $10, purchase what inspires you & then go home & play with the supplies.  Got a photo you want to share.
2. Go searching for the muddiest path, trail or road…………ride your bicycle as fast and hard as you can and laugh all the way.  If you don’t have a bicycle……….run through the mud.
3. Get plant cuttings from friends, plant the cuttings in pots that you have painted or glued items on & remember the friendship each time you water the plants
4. Discover all the cool toys at a toy store or toy department in a box store.  Did you find a favorite?  Did you think about how much fun it would be to have that toy?
5. Have a bubble blowing contest----chewing gum bubble blowing contest that is!!!
6. Dance in the rain with rubber boots on.  Dance in the rain in bare feet.  Dance & twirl & spin & jump in the rain.  Dance in the rain while singing a song. Dance in the rain turning your face upwards to feel the drops.  Just take time to Dance in the Rain.
7. Create a Sunshine Bag – find a cloth or paper bag, draw a sunshine on it & create a face of the sunshine if you wish.  Now, take time to look around your home for items to put in the bag….cookies, crayons, tea, mug rug, chips, package of seeds, candy put in a little felt bag, deck of funny cards, bubbles………..you get the idea.  I will share a photo of one of the sunshine bag I had so much fun creating for my friends on  http://daretoenterplayzone.blogspot.com
8. Paint a design on your face then go to a coffee shop or to store or public area.  Watch the reactions!
9. Find a Secret place and hide for 30 minutes.  Did you feel like a kid hiding where no one knew where your spot was?  Did the joy bubble up as you were hiding?
10. Take an alphabet tour ……… either on foot or in a vehicle or on a bicycle begin with the letter  ‘A’ (Acorn street) B (building) C (club house) D (dairy queen) E (eatery) you get the drift – can use a camera or journal to record your finds.  Most important enjoy running through the alphabet.

 

.

Bag of Sunshine

History of Sunshine Bag.......when my dad was in the hospital, our neighbors gave him a sunshine box filled with all sorts of treats to nibble on.  It meant the world to him.  I didn't forget that gesture of kindness however, I don't wait until someone is ill or struggling...........I create a Bag of Sunshine to give.






Create a Sunshine Bag –




find a cloth or paper bag, draw a sunshine on it & create a face of the sunshine if you wish.  Now, take time to look around your home for items to put in the bag….
cookies,
crayons,
tea,
 mug rug,
chips,
package of seeds,
candy put in a little felt bag,
deck of funny cards,
bubbles
postcard
journal
notebook
pebble
penny for good luck
magazine
puzzle book
book


………..you get the idea - depending on the reason for giving.  The photo is of the sunshine bag I had so much fun creating for my friends.

Week 2 - Play suggestions

1.  Draw a mandala (check out http://daretoenterplayzone.blogspot.com   for instructions)  or colour a mandala already created.  Check the internet for mandalas, there are many choices & have added a couple

http://bulbulk.com/25528-free-mandala-coloring-sheets

http://freecoloringpagesforkids.info/free-mandala-coloring-pages-to-print/

2.  Go to the library and find a book on a topic that you know very little about but that looks very fascinating to you. Check it out. Read it.

3.    Move your body. Try Tai Chi, Pilates, yoga, belly dancing, etc.

4.  Buy a colouring book & a box of 64 crayons…….now use them today.  Go to a park to colour.  Have fun!

5.  Roam through a garden center – purchase or think about purchasing plants, art, flowers, garden ornaments.  Take your time……….savor the moment.

6.  Choose a day of the week, maybe Wednesday, dress up, can be funny outfit or dress in very bright colours, dress up with mismatched clothes…….. and visit an elder

7.  Wear 2 different earrings, then join your book club, have tea at a shop you don’t frequent, have coffee with a stranger, just go where people are and notice the reactions or the comments

8.  Drive.  Aimlessly!

9.  There is skeet shooting spot on the Hanwell Road, Fredericton  www.ft-sc.com

 – give it a try or maybe archery is more to your liking.

10.  Spray paint sidewalk or snow using coloured water made from using food colouring.  Concentrate on the task and notice how you forget the world around you.

 

check out the postings on this site for creating a mandala..........

 Have fun!!!

Creating a Mandala

 

This is from 'Spirit of Women' mandala collection that I painted

Ever coloured a mandala?  Joyce Rupp describes mandala – as a sacred circle that has been a part of humankind since earliest times. Mandala is a Sanskirt word that means ‘scared circle starting from the center.’  Mandalas are abundant in nature….from the flower blossom, slicing a cabbage in half – see the center & design, or view the slice of a tree as a few examples.  Start looking around your surrounding and nature to discover mandalas.  Again, nature is the teacher.

 

Mandala was often used by C.G. Jung as a kind of container.  It held what was deep within the unconscious and brought into the light of awareness by reflective drawing. 

 

Mandalas are thought forms that represent the energy released by the creator.  The mandala can be used in personal meditation, healing, or self-realization, and some women use them as a focus point during birthing. Creating a mandala helps center ourselves.  The circle is a symbol for wholeness, balance and harmony.

Within that circle, a person doodles, scribbles, draws, colours, paints, or sketches their inner most spirit. One need not be an artist in order to draw a mandala.  It does not need to ‘look beautiful’ in order to be insightful. 

 

  Be sure to date the mandala.  It is helpful to title the mandala and to jot down any insights or connections that may come as one ponders mandala.

Draw a mandala.  Begin by pausing to still and to open your entire being to the presence of the rushing wind.  Let the Spirit of God move through your being.  When you feel ready, fill your circle with ways that energy of God moves through your being.

 

Tools………..paper with a circle drawn on it ( I use a plate or bowl) and coloured pencils. Soft music can be quietly played, if you wish.

Place a dot in center of the circle.

 

Before starting to create a mandala……. Begin by quieting the mind and body.

Stop and check how you feel…..body (is it tense or relaxed), mind (chattering or free from words) and the spirit.

 

If you have an intention, then name or write it on the paper. 

Sit quietly, close your eyes, hands on your lap or on the table, and quiet the mind, become very aware of the present moment – the place in which creation takes place.

Become aware of your breath…………now, take 3 long deep breaths.

Wait patiently for an image or a colour or a word to become known to you. 

Open your eyes and focus on the center dot.

Pick up a coloured pencil…………let the colour choose you. 

Place the image or colour or word in the center of the circle. 

Don’t be concerned about drawing just let the pencil flow as you will be amazed as to what appears. 

Continue to add to the circle until it feels completed. 

Creating a mandala is also a lesson in Trust as you will know when you have finished…….just listen and your spirit will tell you. 

 

Interpreting a mandala is personal.  It will tell a story that is only your story.

I place my completed mandalas on a table or fireplace, or hang them on the wall, a place that I can view them as I walk by.  The colours mean something as well as the images.  You can check out symbolism and colour meaning on the computer but it still is a personal process.

 

Now, take a moment to stop and check how you feel…..body (is it tense or relaxed), mind (is it chattering) and your spirit.

 

Mandalas have been made as tools for concentration, mediation, or prayer or given as gifts to love ones who are going through a health crisis or grieving over a loss.

 

Below are meaning of some colours that may help you find the meaning or story………

Grey: Causes indifference, non-expressiveness. Some associated terms are fixed, depressed, lifeless apathetic.

Black: Symbolizes extremes, all or nothing.

Gold: Symbolizes authority, self-confidence, creativity, perfection.

Silver: Inspires emotional stability, removes or neutralizes negativity.

Copper/Bronze: Symbolizes love and passion in personal and professional relationships and endeavors.

Red: Stimulates energy, warmth and healing. Some associated terms are courage, will-power, speed and assertiveness.

Orange: Stimulates new possibilities, creativity and enthusiasm.

Yellow: Awakens mental inspiration and energizes your muscles. (Remember, your heart is a muscle!)

Green: Inspires balance and harmony, soothes both the mind and body.

Blue: Soothes and cools.

Indigo: As a mix of blue and red, indigo combines the devotion of blue and stabilization of red. Indigo inspires coolness and electricity.

Violet/Purple: Colors of transformation, soothing mental and emotional stress. For those of you who meditate, it is believed that violet strengthens one's spiritual power.

White: White is the combination of all colours. It signifies perfection, balance and harmony.

Magenta: Inspires magnetism and extra focus to achieve power.

Pink: Restores youthfulness, inspires genuine contact to your true feelings.

Turquoise: Increases intuition and sensitivity. Relaxes sensations of stress.

Brown: Represents solidity and grounding, natural and simple.

Hope you enjoyed the experience.

 

 How fun is this mandala to create............purchase the sparkles at a Dollar store along with glue, crayons or pencil crayons or kids paints and let the fun begin!!!!!!

 

Week 1 Play Suggestions

Playing is being mindful.

Grab a partner and dos-e-doe pick, pick a suggestion and away you go……………

Invite others………..friends, co-workers, book club, your exercise group, walking/running/cycling/gym partner, spouse or Post the list of suggestions on a bulletin board along with the guidelines.

Week 1

1.      Visit a quilt store – check out the colours, textures, designs, & quilts on display.  You don’t have to purchase but take your time observing.

2.      Purchase bubbles.  Sit on your front step in the early morning to blow bubbles.  Sit at the back of your home to blow bubbles.  Sit in your vehicle in a parking lot to blow bubbles out the window.  (I love watching peoples’ reaction). Blow them spring, summer, fall & winter.

3.      In the spring, participate in Maple Sugar day.  Take note of the sounds, smells and savor the taste of the maple sugar.

4.      Find a church you haven’t visited before & enter to sit, taking note of the colour, texture, sounds & smells Respect their customs and try to understand a little more about their beliefs.

5.      Watch a cartoon or cartoons on a kid’s TV station.

6.      Escape to a matinee.  

7. Have a technology-free day.

8.      Write a poem.  Don’t get caught in the perfection of rhyme.  Write another poem using the starting line “Roses are Red/Violets are Blue…………finish it in a fun way.  Now do it again!

9. Go for a walk, and take your camera with you to document the experience.

10.   Snow is getting moist to make it the perfect time to build a fort…….then build a snowman behind the fort.  If the snow isn’t great for making snowballs……..then dig a tunnel.  Decorate the snowman in the traditional way with hat, scarf, use rocks or large buttons for the eyes, carrot, and buttons down the front.  Now add your own special touch to create Magic.  Maybe take a photo.  Love to see you photo. 

I Dare you, no Double Dare you to take time to Play.

 

Dare to Play.........

 

A few days ago I was shoveling snow from the driveway when I walked over the very high snow bank in front of our home and decided it needed to be decorated.  The sun was shining; the snow was melting so time to have a little fun.  Armed with a spray bottle filled with coloured water I proceeded to write ‘Hello Spring” ending with a smiley face.  The design made me smile but most of all I realized how much fun I had.  I enjoyed myself.   I was engaged in the moment and lost track of time.  In other words, I entered into what experts call a ‘state of play.’

Our attitude may the stopping point for taking time to play, to enjoy a few moments of non-thinking, taking time to play so the heart will  sing.  So how about an attitude adjustment?   Which of these words would you have to cross out to adjust your attitude or give yourself permission to play - fear, comparison, someone may make fun of me, women don’t play, not proper way to act, play is for children, lack of imagination, lack of time, too busy

 As the experts define play, it's something you do for the enjoyment alone. It requires that your mind or your body (or both) be wholly active.  Play is done for its own sake—not caring if you lose the tennis match, or if your bike ride burns off a single calories, or whether the art meets the instructor’s standards. In other words, it's better if you don't give a damn.  Play boosts the mood because it forces the brain to relax.  Play gets the creative juices flowing.

Appointments are scheduled for other events in life so consider scheduling time for play.  Adult play is a time to forget about work and commitments and to be social in an unstructured, creative way. The focus of play is on the actual experience, not on accomplishing any goal. The idea to play is just have fun and enjoying yourself. By giving yourself permission to play with the joyful abandon of childhood, you can reap the myriad of health benefits throughout life.

 

Play is just fun!!!

 Take a cue from a child - don't waste time not playing.

-       For 10 weeks, 5 - 10 suggestions from DARE to ENTER the PLAY ZONE will be emailed to you or you can check this blog site

-       Choose at least one suggestions from DARE to ENTER the PLAY ZONE & do it

-       Set aside time once a week to play – no less than 30 minutes while 60 – 90 minutes would be awesome

-       There are many play options to choose from, some cost money while other choices don’t cost money

-       Pick one small adventure………..give it a try before you say ‘no way’.

-       Check your mind, body & spirit for tension spots before starting…..then do a check when you are done

-       Take your time to enjoy the adventure,………….. don’t hurry, no time limit, no watches

-       Declare this time OFF LIMITS to everyone and everything

-       Later on ………………….Push the comfort level to pick an adventure that you wouldn't normally play

-       Only share if you wish, however it would be interesting hear about your adventure

-       Buy stickers & place them on your calendar to signify your date with Play

 

         ******* to register leave a comment/message using your first name only and I will let you know when the starting date will be

Marlene