Literary Inspirations: George Bernard Shaw on Growing Old

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"

- George Bernard Shaw

It's so easy as we enter our adult lives to lose the joy of play. Adult responsibilities take our focus. We have jobs, we pay the bills, we concentrate on the big picture, the future, making sacrifices for the now because we want the fun times later.

Ms.B brought my lovely little nieces down this weekend for an Easter Egg hunt - I had baby-sat them over Easter last year and they had loved joining in with little sis on a treasure hunt for Easter eggs. Sitting at the table, decorating our Easter baskets while the *ahem* Easter Bunny hid the eggs, the excitement that the girls had about what lay ahead was palpable.

Chasing C down the side of the house as she went to the letterbox for the next clue, I got caught up in the excitement, the energy of the adventure. It's the same feeling that I had on Friday when PianoMan and I followed a beach path and ended up with no idea where we were. It's the same feeling I get when swinging on monkey bars, when rollerskating up and down a smooth patch of pavement, when yelling "in your face!" to someone that I've beaten in a game LOL.

Don't grow old before your time by forgetting the joy of play - give me your thoughts in the comments about what makes you feel young.