What is Play?
By Carol Friedrich
It has so happened, since my retirement, that I have had no problem “playing”. “Play” for me can be any activity that I enjoy – when tired, stressed, worried, wanting just to “waste” time (meaning, to “avoid work”) or just something I want to do, either scheduled or spontaneous. These personal choices can be considered “play”.
My “play” is not complicated. I’m usually at home. Before the pandemic, I “played” often by going out to lunch with friends and attending my local crones group activities in person. I did things “out and about”. Now, I only do necessary shopping. I am slowly overcoming my reluctance to be with many other people.
My play at home has included many things – chatting by phone and zoom with friends, reading cozy mysteries, finishing Sudoku and solitaire puzzles, watching non-news TV or numerous cat and dog videos, some crafting, occasional shopping, and similar activities. To me “play” activities serve as a distraction or respite from the demands of grownup life in addition to being fun. It does not necessarily need to be amusing – it only needs to divert my attention for a brief time and be its own reward.
“Play”, generally described as an “enjoyable activity”, is primarily a person’s choice; however, as I think about what is enjoyable, it has more to do with attitude and not the activity itself. It can be anything in our lives.
We can all use play, not as a separate activity once we gotten our “work” done but as an important and integral part of our lives – a priority for our mental, spiritual and physical health. Interaction with family and friends, experiencing nature, creating art or enjoying it, participating in concerts, classes, gardening, sightseeing, movies, interest groups, clubs, sports (skiing, hiking, tennis, jogging, swimming), games, cooking, reading, traveling, other recreation – all can be part of our (play) life.
Dear Elsie,
Happy Spring, Dear Ones! The equinox is almost here and signs of Mother Earth’s vigor are everywhere. After a long winter many of us are anxious to get outside, but March reminds us that transitions can be tricky. Crocuses peak out one day only to be buried in snow the next. Winter doesn’t relinquish its hold without some drama, but Spring is up to the challenge, just as we are.
Change is all around us, and not just in the fickle weather. We are slowly coming out of a pandemic and given the heightened tension around the World right now it may be time for living our old, familiar lives in new creative ways. Not entirely in jest, a Crone writes:
I’M SO HUNGRY!!!! Prices have gotten so high. I can’t afford my filet Mignon and French wine every night! How can I save money at the grocery store so that I can feed my sweet kitty?
Dear Hungry,
Isn’t that the truth! It seems like every time one goes into the grocery store all the prices automatically jump up a dollar.
What can a hungry woman do? Aside from the fact that Mignon is probably an endangered species (to our pocketbooks) and we know we should support our local wineries, there are a few actions we can take.
Inventory your household supplies. Yes, that means the dark, scary pantry shelves and deepest reaches of the freezer. Even after you’ve located most of the early pandemic desperation stockpiling there should be plenty of usable food. Did you find that stash of wine you were saving for a special occasion? Yay! When you have purged long outdated items -like the 5-year-old can of tuna you thought briefly of sharing with Kitty- make a list of needed staples. Money saving tip: always shop with a list and try to stick to it.
Eating healthy while saving money could mean tweaking your diet or trying something new. Check out a food co-op if you have one nearby. Some farmer’s markets operate most of the year and shopping there is good for you and the local economy. Senior and community centers often have produce free for the taking, especially at harvest time. Explore joining a community garden.
Consider growing some of your own food. It is worth the initial investment and there are so many ways to do this. Use a portion of your yard, build raised beds, try container gardening in large pots and look at small moveable greenhouses.. Even a sunny window can lend itself to a few pots of herbs and perhaps a cherry tomato. Don’t have a green thumb? Resources abound on the internet, in magazines, nurseries and garden centers. Quite a few places offer classes or free advice. Whether you grow from seed or buy started plants, keep in mind that lots of folks start their gardens early and supplies are quickly exhausted as the weather warms up. Having some fresh veggies at your fingertips might save you enough money to feed Kitty cat.
Remember to get a catnip plant.
NOW LET’S OPEN THAT WINE!!!
Elsie
Wild Writing – Bear with me
By Kaya Kotzen
Bear with me while I sit and ponder and wander aimlessly in my home.
It is that letting go and feeling lost that helps me find my way.
Bear with me if I let your call go to voice mail while I’m zooming. Know
that these connections really do feed my heart and soul and that
I will call you back when I am done,
Bear with me if I seem out of sorts, flakey, or unfocused when I’m tired.
Tell me to go home and rest, or take a nap because that may be
what I truly need to hear and do.
Bear with me if I don’t agree with everything you say or do, my opinions are
my own and I won’t push them on you, but I do ask that you not push
yours on me either.
Bear with me if I lack good social graces. I grew up like an only child, at
times, and I don’t bounce off other people or like big gatherings all that well. Solitude is how I regroup to figure out how I feel.
Bear with me, I’m only human, and have my flaws.
I am not broken. I only have some cracks and bruises that can be repaired,
but don’t we all have them?
Bear with me, as I will do the same with you.
Let us be gentle with each other as we learn to bare our souls.
4-17-21
Crones to Combat Climate Change
By Laurie Dameron
I live about 7 miles as the crow flies from where the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado took place. My heart still aches every day for my neighbors, thousands of them, that lost EVERYTHING! I am motivated more than ever to work on the fight against climate change. It has become a dire situation and that nothing else in our lives will matter unless we get a handle on climate change.
It’s understandable that people tend to ignore news or any talk on climate change to avoid stress, anxiety and depression. It’s overwhelming!
Instead of being overwhelmed, let’s work on solutions! I’ll be offering one a month for awhile and would like to hear some from you.
Here is the first one:
Don’t allow your car to idle.
Idling your car truly gets you nowhere – it reduces fuel economy, costs you money, and creates pollution. You can find more info at:
https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/idling_personal_vehicles.pdf
There are SO many actions we can take. They may be small changes but can add up to make a big difference.