Day 18 - Letting Go of "Busy"
If we want to live a Wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth. ~Brene Brown
When people are learning English as a second (or third!) language, they inevitably run across a problem with English greetings. Instead of greeting someone with a reciprocal “Hello” or “Good Morning”, a casual greeting is more often something like “Hey! How’re you doing?” to which the answer is always some version of “Fine. And you?” No one expects to get a real answer to the question of “How are you?” The same rote question and answer routine happens in the next breath. “So, what have you been up to lately?” “Man, I’ve been so busy!” And the conversation continues to elaborate all the ways in which each of the persons has been busy and productive, with great admiration bestowed upon the one who exhibits the busiest schedule. In our fast-paced, over-worked culture one of the highest values seems to be productivity and “busyness” and any answer other than “busy” is immediately suspect, although secretly desired.It’s hard to rest and play when there’s so much to DO! But if we do not rest and play, we are the poorer for it. In a previous post, I discussed the merits of taking a Sabbath rest so I won’t belabor that here. Suffice it to say that taking a one-day-a-week break from our “to do” list and the incessant urge to “be productive” might actually help us be more productive on the other six days of the week.Further, taking time to play will infuse our work with joy and creativity. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown quotes Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play:
“The opposite of play is not work—the opposite of play is depression…Respecting our biologically programmed need for play can transform work. It can bring back excitement and newness to our job. Play helps us deal with difficulties, provides a sense of expansiveness, promotes mastery of our craft, and is an essential part of the creative process. Most important, true play that comes from our own inner needs and desires is the only path to finding lasting joy and satisfaction in our work. In the long run, work does not work without play.”
The movie The Internship, with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson captures the essence of work at Google. At Google there is a lot of playing going on! All my friends who work there can attest to how the symbiotic nature of play and work come together in wonderfully creative work. My son-in-law who was an actual intern at Google, and now works there full-time, says it’s just plain fun to go to work! There are so many places to play, which enhances the creativity of the work. (Bonus: Check out the real Google interns here)Obviously, one of the things I need to re-learn is how to play. What exactly IS play? Dr. Brown “proposes seven properties of play, the first of which is that play is apparently purposeless.” Purposeless? As I let that word roll around in my head, I’m not quite sure what to do with it. So, working on my golf game is not play? Finishing the scrapbook is not play? Baking the cake for the party is not play? Putting together the engine on that old truck is not play? Playing sports is not play? Still thinking about this one… Perhaps the difference is in the level of focus and intentionality. I can probably learn a lot by watching a two-year old play!So, what are we letting go, exactly? Well, I’m letting go of the need to be “busy” to the point of exhaustion. And, I’m letting go of the idea that being busy is a better definition of me than playing or resting. Here’s my plan: Whenever anyone asks me what I’ve been up to lately, I’m going to answer… “I’m glad you asked. I’ve been resting and playing.” How's that for a conversation stopper? Haha! (My point, exactly.)