You may be wondering… who is Recess Girl and why is she here? Well, Recess Girl believes there needs to be more fun, play and creativity in the world. I’ve always known this on some level. Recess was my favorite part of school. It was something I did well!! During recess, I could be as creative, active or loud as I wanted to be and nobody told me to apply myself, stop daydreaming or pay attention. I was free to be me. As you can imagine I didn’t do nearly as well inside the classroom or any other place where I was required to sit still, be quiet and pay attention.
For years this caused me to believe there was something wrong with me. I thought my endless playful spirit was somehow a deficit in life. I’ve now come to realize it is one of the best parts of me. So I’m here to claim it, share it and encourage others to express themselves creatively and playfully. There is plenty of seriousness in the world and what we really need is more silliness, laughter, joy, play and recess!
I am the Director of a Senior Center and a Life Coach. Both jobs have taught me much about the need for play and fun. I’m so grateful that my Senior Center job allows me many “recess moments.” We dance, party, dress up, sing, have lots of food and music and we can constantly come up with new ways to have fun.
Recently, while watching a group of spirited seniors perform line dances at a luncheon, I witnessed something wonderful. First, people at my table who were half their age were envious of the moves they were making, especially when some of them twisted all the way down to the floor. Not only did the younger folks doubt they would be able to get down on the floor at that age, some of them doubted they could do it now.
One man in this group stood out among the rest. He was using a cane. His one arm looked slightly paralyzed, like he had had a stroke. So one arm did not look like it was functioning completely and the other was holding his cane for balance and yet he was dancing his heart out. He was making some pretty fancy moves and his feet were definitely coming up off the floor. I’m not talking about slight movement. He was going to town. He was such an inspiration to me.
I work with seniors every day so I’m well aware of their ability to have fun and their ability to out perform many of their younger counterparts, yet even with all of my experience, I can still be delighted by someone who goes above and beyond in the recess department. I didn’t get a chance to talk to this man as his group left before the luncheon was over but I will long remember how he danced and his example of rising above his limitations to have fun and bring joy to others.
