Playtime

Daily writing prompt

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

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I do play in my daily life. The best evidence of this is video games, which I play to keep in touch with friends.

I play saxophone and piano as well, though these sometimes can feel like chores, especially with the initial effort required to commit time to them. Writing is similar.

I’m going to consider reading as a form of play. As such, then yes, I definitely play often in my daily life. That’s the crux of it: one’s perspective of the activity. Reading is something I look forward to and is largely effortless, beside a little focus. Writing, saxophone, and piano, like I said, require more effort and are only sometimes activities I look forward to.

This must be a function of habits (I’m recently coming off of reading Atomic Habits, so forgive me). For example, reading is play for me because it has become so habitualized; the ease and lack of effort involved make it something I can pick up and do at nearly any moment; simply, they make it fun. On the other hand, the feeling of waiting for a ‘right moment’ or plucking up the resolve pervades my perspectives toward writing, saxophone, and piano.

It’s difficult to make ourselves do things that are unfamiliar, are not easy, or require a lot of effort. But then there’s the paradox: the investment creates the fun. Reading isn’t easy for everyone. But, the more you read the easier it becomes, the less effort it entails, the more fun it is, and the more we view it as play. The same is true for piano, saxophone, writing, anything.

Another small note, perhaps from Atomic Habits again: these things are supposed to be fun. Play is the verb we use to describe manipulating an instrument. Treating tougher-to-engage-with hobbies with a little play can go a long way.