Playing with my toys

I wrote an article for an online magazine recently, and they asked for a two line description to go along with the byline. Now, this is not a scholarly publication (and no fee, either, but at least I didn't have to pay them to publish it), so I didn't wasted time on my "credentials," such as they are. Instead, I said that I am a pastor, a wife, and mother to two furry children, one that barks and one that meows, and that I am just beginning to realize that I am supposed to be a grown-up.
This grieves me. I still think of myself as being 25, but sadly this next birthday is ten years past that. Getting older so far hasn't brought me any real wisdom that I'm aware of, and perhaps that's the point.
And I still really love to play.
I actually think play is essential for our mental health. A lot of the "artistic" people I know, from quilters to potters to musicians, etc., play with their hands and their artwork. Some play by singing or reading or playing or watching sports. I play with the computer (one of my favorite toys) and I'm pleased to report, as you'll see from the blog, that I've figured out how to add my own photo in to the title bar. The camera is one of my toys, too, and I love taking pictures in new places...this photo comes from an overlook at the Hatteras lighthouse, and the shadows are me and Tonya from our trip in March.
I like to travel, and I'm looking forward to Europe in the fall. I read all manner of fiction and like to watch movies, but nothing too scary or too silly. I walk the dog for fun, and cook and I'm beginning to write as play. And I work. A lot. And much of the time, my work is play to me too. It occurs to me that play, recreation, is really re-creation...a way of knitting body and soul back into something resembling the image of God again. A way of feeling like me, and feeling that "me" is someone God likes. And that is a very good feeling.