Where, and how, are we supposed to engage with not only the universe but all of its aspects and weirdness?
Surrounded by strangeness we are born into a world without, it seems, our personal request. No map is given to us, no rules are handed out by the cosmos. We are taught and shaped by others who have also been given no direction except for the ones they were given by others who had been given no direction except…etc etc. etc. ad infinitum.
Yet The Universe is spinning, creating, and rebuilding constantly. In our limited form of understanding, it is showing us how to best interact with it and those others around us. Spin, create, rebuild.
Play.
We do it naturally, even without the directions or maps.
We wonder at the discovery of our toes.
We spin madly in circles until we can no longer stand and The Universe which is spinning now seems to be spinning ever faster.
We mix magic potions from mud and puddles, stick become wands, and singing swords.
Neighborhood pets become dragons and beasts.
We play, and The Universe rewards us with imagination and creativity.
The Universe plays along with us and in doing so we are filled with wonder and laughter and magic.
Then as we get older we are told that “playing” means winning and therefore losing.
Originally we are told, by those in charge of us, to “Go Play” with no necessity to win or lose, just “Go outside and play” and we do.
Then we begin to play in order to win.
We separate into teams.
We designate people as winners and losers.
Rule books are handed out and must be followed.
Coaches help us learn the rules better so that we can belong to the winning team.
And, it doesn’t seem all that fun anymore.
The Universe, as always, is there and it continues to play. Many times across the span of our lives, even after many of us have stopped playing, The Universe taps us on the shoulder and says, “Do you want to play?”
A strange dream.
A coincidence.
A ghostly bump in the night.
A strange light in the sky.
The Universe makes its moves and waits for your response.
It’s your turn.
Make a move, and make it a weird one.
(originally published August 24, 2018)