This weekend I will be donning my purple wig, grabbing my leather jacket, putting on my battered old army boots and heading on the yearly Odense Harry Potter Festival. That’s right I am going to be playing Tonks and Mr T will be Lupin, complete with scar on face and a stick on moustache ( which I know he will be complaining that it itches within 30 seconds of the glue being dry! That’s just his way of having fun).

So why, I hear you ask, is  38 year old women going to spend her entire weekend roleplaying in a fantasy world? The simple answer is because I can! And why not? As kids we have our fantasy button turned on constantly. A stick becomes a wand, a laser gun or lightsaber- do you remember that feeling of it being so real to you? I do. And I am so glad I do. So what happened to us  between then and now? Who turned off that switch? Well I am sorry to say you did. Society judges adults that like to play. Less and less I am happy to say, but unfortunately there is still judging dogma around it. Apparently it’s not mature to play lightsabers, it is not socially acceptable for adults to play. (Unless its Bridge playing Bridge is socially acceptable). The big problem is you believed them. And the more you believed them, the more difficult it was to turn on that fantasy switch until one day you couldn’t  find it again. And even worse because you believed them, you even begin to judge the adults that happily still play on the swings.

If you have found yourself in this situation it is the universe trying to poke  you with a giant stick. At this point my friends, you need the lesson from one of life’s wisest creatures. The baby.  Babies are humans in their most raw form. Happiness in a baby is a beautiful thing. Life to a baby is a beautiful thing. Babies are great they eat, poop, cry and sleep when and where they want to. And when they are not doing the above they are observing and laughing. Babies aren’t afraid to try something new. “Hey who knows what will happen if I put my foot in my mouth, it might taste good.” They don’t care if someone tells them a game is stupid. If it is fun they are going to do it anyway.

And so should we. We have, as far as we know, one life on this planet. One beautiful life to live to the fullest. And you are going to stop doing something you love just because you are apparently too mature. Surely this is the definition of insanity! Get out there! Go play, laugh , dance and feel joy! To forget to play is to forget to live, without it we just exist. Play makes the memories more beautiful and laughter come right up from the belly.

So go out this weekend and find your inner you and do something fun. Something your younger self would have enjoyed. No one knows when the day might be your last, wouldn’t you rather that in that day you had laughed, danced and had moments of pure joy. I know I would. So have a blast this weekend doing exactly what it is that makes you happy. For me that is going to be running around with wand in hand all weekend challenging other equally happy folks to a magical duel.

Have a wonderful playful weekend!

Expelliarmus!!

(P.s Please note this article is written to those who have forgotten to play. I know there of many of you still out there that love childish play and to you I hope one day I mee you on the swings, *cos I know I can swing higher than you can 😛 !!)