Writer Confessions: 66 Days of Play, Week 1: Fins and Friends

Hello, Merworld. I’m happy to announce that Week 1 of 66 Days of Play is complete. Mission accomplished. With some adjustments. Truthfully, I had all these grand plans to go out on the town, hit the dance floor, and otherwise live it up and then…I got sick. Nothing permanent, mind you, but the sort of sick where you take a bunch of cold medicine and absentmindedly stare into space for long swaths of time. Coming back to the world when someone speaks to you or you’re on a deadline, but otherwise in a sort of molasses-paced reality.

As a result, my grand plans for a high-octane inaugural week were postponed, lest I share my germs with anyone outside my household.

But all was not lost. I was still determined to play a little each day, despite my Rudolf the red nosed reindeer look and lowered mental faculties. I caught up with several out-of-state friends on video cam and dove into some fin-friendly pastimes. Here’s a quick look at my playtime activities for the week:

Day 1: Made whale-shark origami. How cute are these paper sea creatures!

Day 2: Girlfriend chat time.

Day 3: Coloring in my Mermaids in Wonderland book by Marcos Chin.

Day 4: Girlfriend chat time. Also finished reading In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens. A cute adventure about a prince and a merman. Here’s my review on the novel.

Day 5: Watched the re-envisioned Pro Bowl Games. A fun shift from the standard week between American football playoffs and the Superbowl.

Day 6: Girlfriend chat time. Yes, I was all in on the girl-talk this week. What’s not to love about virtual happy hours with good friends.

Day 7: Played piano – my most favorite thing to do as a child. I used to play piano for hours on end. I’m quite rusty by comparison, but still love diving into the emotion of classical and romantic era music.

What did I learn this week about the importance of play? To start, it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. Even though I wasn’t feeling one hundred percent, I was still able to keep my spirits up throughout the workday by anticipating my evening off-hours. Rather than wallowing in my unwellness, I kept myself motivated by working toward some well-deserved relaxation. It was fun to think about low energy playtime options that would still make me happy and give me something to look forward to each day. All in all, Week 1 wasn’t what I initially planned and yet, it’s a more sustainable version of the play I originally envisioned. And maybe it was exactly what I needed. A reminder to ease into this concept of finding joy in good company and simple artistic pleasures. Excited to see what next week holds.

That’s all for now, Merworld. Until next time. You flipping rock!

~Melissa