The Thread

I saw a post of a woman saying it’s good you haven’t gone viral yet, for there are so many versions of you, it would be a shame to be celebrated for one while the others starve.

She said create a window into the world where all of you has a home and discover the thread that ties them all together.

What does the philosopher want that the artist and the wild spirit also wants?

So I thought about it.

Play.

Play verb.

a freely chosen, fun, and engaging activity done for recreation, enjoyment, or learning

Every version of myself wants to play! Intellectually, spiritually, physically, emotionally.

When I work with horses, I strive to make the space safe enough for them to play!

When I wrote an essay and got accepted into the House of Chi, I was drawn to the playful nature of light work in the dark.

When I ask someone to play chess with me, pepper them with questions, or tease them I’m asking “Will you play with me?”

When I’m barefoot and running wild on the beach, in the forest, or lost on a snowy mountain my only motivation is play.

When I’m 5 hours deep in a painting and I slowly start covering myself in as much paint as the painting — I’m playing. And it brings me joy.

So the philosopher wants to play spiritually through curiosity, the wild child artist wants to play physically through tactile sensations and banter, and the academic wants to play intellectually through challenge and debate.

I exist to play.

And the best way to show that is to go out and live it.