I don’t play as much as I used to before.

Looking back, I was willing to wake up all night to finish up an amazing game, enchanting book, or be with my friends until dawn.

It wasn’t until an unnoticed shift in my life when I began looking at play as something different…

A waste of time.

It could be because the world bore it’s weight on me or responsibilities made life heavier. The point is, it’s there.

The nagging feeling when I play.

It’s a waste of time, stop doing that. Do something better. Do something that could make us money; something to improve skills. Stop whatever you’re doing, and do this instead.

It’s that voice, behind my head, constantly reminding me of what could’ve been.

In times where I drink with friends, spend time on video games, or even remotely close of enjoying. The voice appears and whispers.

It made relaxing moments an excruciating exercise, rather than be as natural as breathing.

This unassuming prompt that appeared on WordPress on a random day made me reflect that I should embrace play more often than not.

That shutting my brain off does more good than harm.

Reminding me that every moment in my life does not have to be hyper-optimized for productivity and money; that not everything needs to have meaning and purpose.

Sometimes, play just happen to be just that – play. Enjoying the moment, cherishing the fun, and having the soul a time to breathe.

This prompt made me realize that it’s time for me to relearn how to play.