Time To Play

Happy February and National School Counseling Week 2019.

It has been over a week since I've posted because

I've been intentionally playing with some new friends;

today I'm hanging out in South Dakota
savoring my incredible Iowa memories,
like this epic winter sunset we were gifted.

I'm thankful for a terrific time playing at Sibley-Ocheyedan

with my friend Laurel and her school family.

We role played together to help her superheroes

work with intention to sharpen their empathy skills.

We danced to this ditty using the hand-jive motions,

to help imprint my message on their hearts.

In between classroom visits,

we played around on our ukuleles;

we invited students to sing You Are My Hero with us.

This beautiful child taught me that if you're not smiling,

you're not doing it quite right. Can I get an AMEN?

In our down time, we played by hosting a Coffee Chat,

enjoying a drive through the countryside, and then shopping.

I picked up this kindness treasure which begs the question:

Do you see a weed or a wish?

{I bought the mug for my friend Tamara, whose book A Passion For Kindness comes out this month; she's coming to visit in March, so I thought it'd be fun to have this waiting for her in her room. Shhhh; it's a surprise. I sure hope she's playing and not reading blogs today!}

Laurel and I even got a little silly and recorded a few videos

to share during National School Counseling week this week.

Laurel's generous hospitality during my five-day stay

warmed my heart and left me feeling loved and appreciated.

Thank you, Mrs. K., and happy #NSCW19 to you.

Earlier that week, I got to play with some School Counselors

in Beaumont, Texas, at the Region 5 Education Service Center.

They were such good sports in this Playing Card Hierarchy game.

They didn't do too badly in this cut-throat competition either,

to try to keep their appreciations balloon afloat while batting away each other's,

an experiential representation of how the kryptonite in our lives

threatens to weaken our superpowers and take us out of the game.

Actually, they did a great job, didn't they?

Time to play.

At work.

At home.

And in life.

It's so important.

In fact, play is our brain's favorite way to learn.

And, as a bonus, it's a great way to connect

while learning to navigate life's wins and losses.

I'll leave you today with one of my favorite things,

when someone plays the piano for me;
to School Counselors everywhere, this one's for you.

Inhale calm and exhale chaos.
Thank you for your heart work; our world is better,
kinder and more compassionate, because of you.

Close your eyes and relax in this moment;
let the melancholy music speak to your soul.