Play is one way

Dear Crew,

Sometimes we dream because dreaming is fun. For a moment, anything is possible. A different life. A crazy idea. A version of ourselves that lives more boldly or more wildly.

We can move through it without having to change anything. And then we return—to our everyday lives, to our routines, to life as we know it.

The opportunity was a game.

I think at some point, something changed for me.

"Possibility is a game" became "Play is a possibility."

What if I didn't just follow an idea because it's appealing? What if I tried something even though I don't yet know where it will lead? What if what seems like a crazy idea at first is actually a door?

Then, all of a sudden, play turns serious. Not serious in the sense of being difficult, but in the sense that I take my opportunities seriously.

And that's exactly where the hard part begins.

After all, a playful life doesn’t come about simply by hopping around carefree all day. Anyone who pursues an opportunity will eventually have to make decisions. Set aside time. Learn something. Say no. Start over. Put yourself out there before you know how others will react. Put up with the fact that people don’t understand what you’re actually doing.

I find that paradoxical: A playful life sometimes requires a great deal of seriousness when it comes to one's own play.

Many things in my life started with a simple question: “What if…?”

A book. A set of cards. A room. A journey. A character. An entire world.

At first, they existed only as a possibility. I could have left them there. That would have been perfectly fine.

But some ideas want to come to life and aren’t content to be tucked away in the “possibilities” drawer again. So I started playing around. I experimented. I discarded ideas. I tinkered. I wrote. I danced. I explored. I had doubts. I started over.

And at some point, I realized: the game had changed my life.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest powers of creativity. Play is not just a break from reality. Play can give rise to new realities.

So I’d like to pass this question on to you: Is there something in your life you’ve been toying with for a long time? An idea. A longing. Something about which you like to say, “Someday I’d like to…”

Do you just want to daydream about it? Then keep dreaming. Not every dream has to turn into a project right away. Not every possibility needs to be turned into reality.

But maybe there's one where something different happens. Maybe you'll realize, "Oh. I really mean that."

You don't need to know just yet how to make that happen. Maybe all it takes is a small step from imagination into reality.

A message. A registration. A first draft. An attempt.

And maybe someday you'll look back on something that was once just a playful idea and be able to say, "I did it."

Because you finally let that possibility become a reality.

With love and a game plan,
Jeannette