From Play to Playful: Finding your Lighter Side
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about splooting squirrels, and how I’d essentially fallen in love with this new-to-me word. What I didn’t do, I realize, was out myself as a lover of words and word play. Granted, it was probably pretty obvious from what I shared and how I shared it... but I didn't say it directly. So let it be known: as a trilingual foreign language teacher who grew up in a very grammar-conscious family, I love words and leaning into the magic they can create.
As this word-loving person who's eager to help people build resilience in the face of climate change, I think a lot about the differences between 'play' and 'playful'. I wonder how many of my thoughts are simply opinions versus public knowledge - just accepted wisdom. I think about the different roles that ‘play’ and ‘playful’ have in our lives, and find myself wondering if adults are more or less likely to lean into one than the other. Usually when I sit down to write a blog post, I know the path to my intended outcome. But this time, I truly leaned into my favorite play personality and allowed myself the luxury of exploring the territory. Hope you enjoy the ride!
My first bit of digging led me to discover that, according to one website, there are 245 phrases including the word ‘play’! I bet, if you thought about it, you could come up with at least five off the top of your head. (Go ahead and try it before scrolling any further!).
I was delighted to learn a few new phrases from this long list:
play the giddy goat (to behave wildly, irresponsibly)
play old harry (play the devil, to make mischief)
play gooseberry (to serve as a chaperone)
But naturally, there are many on the list that most of us understand and use regularly:
Play it by ear
Play it safe
Play it straight
Play hardball
Play possum
Play out
Play with fire
Play to the crowd
Play well with others
Play it by ear
Like ‘splooting’, ‘playing the giddy goat’ is also really fun to say. But more to the point, play is clearly woven into the language that many of us use daily – even as adults. It’s embedded into our culture in a way that I believe we tend to forget.
Naturally, there’s value in exploring the definitions of these words, too. The first Oxford definition for ‘play’ as a verb is “to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose”. Other definitions address play in sports, theater and music, but this general definition highlights what I find to be a key difference between play and playful: engaging in activity.
Playful, on the other hand, is defined as “propensity to frame or reframe everyday situations in a way that can be perceived as entertaining, stimulating, or interesting; lighthearted”.
Lighthearted.
That’s the word that, for me, captures one of the essential differences between these two concepts – and the one that I think can make it easier for us, as adults navigating challenging times, to access a lighter side of climate.
From my experience, it can feel awkward, uncomfortable, and even unpleasant, for adults to “play”. But I think that’s because so many of us associate ‘play’ with that first definition: to engage in activity. There’s a belief that, in order to play, we need to be doing something, playing something - a ‘something’ is often associated with a time or an experience that we no longer like or never enjoyed in the first place. Board games. Lawn games. Competitive games. Sports. Chess. Hopscotch.
And, while Casey and I would argue that play is, in fact, practical, as it helps lead to creative solutions, and builds resilience and relationships, there are many people that might be more inclined to come at play from more of its traditional definition - that play is not “serious or practical”. And let's face it, there's a lot that needs our attention these days which is quite serious and very practical - another challenge, I believe, of the concept of play for adults.
But here's where ‘playful’ can swoop in and save the day:
You can playfully engage in something that's serious and practical.
For those of us in deeper stages of adulthood, take the example of Hawkeye from M.A.S.H, a TV show from the 70s about atrocities of the Korean war (my mom loved that show!). He would make jokes to lighten the mood amidst a clearly devastating context.
Or consider Mark Rober, an American engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and educator, best known for his playful videos on YouTube about scientific and engineering topics. With a following of over 64 million, Rober has had a huge impact on redefining what's possible.
And, naturally, climate change is serious business as well, and would benefit from millions more followers (and leaders…) committed to enacting big, impactful solutions.
What is possible, I find myself wondering, if more of us leaned into lightheartedness - in climate and beyond?
