Do you recognize the spirally, circle thing in this piece? I used a Spirograph to do it. Remember those? They always remind me of elementary school and the annual school fair. What fun I had taking circles and pens and turning them into beautiful flowers or mystical emblems. When I found the kit I knew I had to find a way to use it. These words express how I felt, like all hope was possible even if the world was still run by adults.
Somewhere along the path of growing up too many of us have lost the childlike wonder and hope associated with doing things just for fun. As kids we did that all the time. Run around, play games, imagine, dream, pretend, even work and learning how to do stuff seemed fun. Everything was eternal, a day could feel like a week and it seemed like an eternity until Christmas rolled around again. Doing the Spirograph reminded me that all things are possible even if in our mind they do not seem practical. Doing it just to do it, because we could, because we wanted to, because it was fun. No purpose needed, no quarterly goals or strategic planning was involved. We didn’t worry if it was good enough or how we would use it, or if it fit into our decor, we just did it.
I know that as adults we spend most of our days being practical, planned, intentional, even methodical. I also know that sometimes that backs up on all of us. We feel trapped, lonely, lost and even wonder why we are doing all that we do. It is at those moments in my world where I take the dogs out to run around the yard, and I run with them. I pick and pluck at plants in the greenhouse or even doodle on a piece of paper. I do something that has no purpose in the grand scheme. I let myself play, run, be silly or even childish. It may only last a few minutes, however it’s power is immense. Being able to release all the intentional for a bit of whimsy is impactful for the rest of my world.
So what did I do today, I played with the Spirograph again. I created a whole lot of nothing that may end up as scraps or simply in a pile waiting for whatever might come. No plan, no reason, simply to do it and have fun. I encourage you to take a walk, not for exercise but to see things. Ride a bike, not to chart a course or measure your fitness, to enjoy your neighborhood just for fun. Doodle, giggle, roll in the dirt with your pet, maybe bake brownies for no other reason than it is yummy to lick the spoon. Some days we need to be reminded that the human heart is capable of joy and wonder for no other reason than because we are all children at heart.
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