Pieces of Play Monday: Right now I play

Play for me personally is tough. It's not my thing. I am not playful. This makes it hard to be a Mumma. Even as a kid I would be sitting at the grown ups table. One side of the family would be shooing me away. The other side of the family was happy enough to immerse me in polictics and critical thinking. So what happens to to a serious someone like me who finds themselves in a playful and young family? I get on with it, like it's a job! So here is the story of play, right here, right now, in this little family unit. 

Right now we play: Basketball. It's one of Michael's great loves. It's something I'm in love with now after knowing him for 25 years or so. It's a wonderful game and we make the girls play. They are not so keen but I tell them it is the one time we all get together as play! It's the time they see me at my most active physically, and their Daddy and I most focused on play. Michael is a serious Coach and that is serious fun for him. I am a serious support and have played many roles over the years. Scorer, cheer squad, marketing and communicaitons, photographer, story teller, social coordinator, and campaigner. The girls are really starting to look like Ballers too, adn just like we hoped the friendships and awesomeness of a team sport are starting to show. 

Right now we play: Photography. Maybe it's more of a creative expression, but play for me is when I have a camera in my hands and I'm taking photos without instruction, without purpose except for capturing the joy in my life, and sometimes the sadness too. 

Right now we play: Adventures. For a little while travel was off the cards for us, but recently we got to go overseas again. In 2022 we had a weekend away for Birthdays and played in our city, we took a cruise for 3 days as a test run to see if we could jump inot something longer, we travelled to Melbourne and were tourists in our own country, and we went to Japan for 3 weeks over Christmas. As a family we have visited 6 different countries and hope to catch up on even more as we come out of covid slumber. 

Right now we play: Around the house. For Kirra, play is about 3-5 outfit changes, dress-ups, gowns, tiaras, Mummas high heels, and princess dresses. For Kaiya it is making dioramas, and creating charaters online (think Manga). For both the girls, it can be a backyard or kitchen performance or imaginary play in their make believe office. For Michael it is the occassional computer game, and watching Basketball or Arsenal. For me, I write stories and document this beautiful life we are lucky to have, and othen it's a swim in the ocean with the girls (just add water and I'm in a happy place).