Heartsong Studio

It’s the middle of summer. I’m not suggesting that you should read a serious article about pleasure. In less than two minutes, here’s some insight into relearning what pleases you.

As simple as child’s play?

If you’re anything like the workaholic and recovering perfectionist that I am, you may find it strangely hard to know what pleases you. After years of doing what you should, how can you make art for your own pleasure unless you know what that feels like?

Every day I watch a doe with twin fawns grazing around my property. The mother has to eat constantly to provide milk enough for two growing youngsters before the fall, and still her ribs are visible.

The fawns spend much of their time playing. They butt heads, pronk with all four tiny hoofs off the ground, then run in wild circles. They act seriously immature, but they show a wisdom that caught my curiosity.

Can you remember how to play?

Look how much human children learn through play in the first few months of life. Fawns have a lot of growing to do in an even shorter time, yet these speckled twins are goofy, silly, and clearly having fun.

“Just” playing doesn’t always come easy.

Here am I in my 70th summer offering a couple of ideas caught from those tiny fawns to rediscover what pleases you.

Okay, I’ll spare you the personal details of what I’m up to in this regard, as you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway, but I can tell you it works. And, it’s really fun.

Simple guidelines

Suspend all judgment about acting your proper age. Pounce on a chance opportunity with abandon. The point is to discover things you didn’t know that please you.

Choose things you’ve never done before, or didn’t believe you could. It might be anything from simply leaving the dishes in the sink, lying in a hammock for hours, all the way to allowing yourself to fall in love for the first time.

Sometimes child’s play isn’t so simple. You might have to relearn it, but I’m finding it’s a well worthwhile study. I’d be pleased to hear what makes you happy.

“We have an infinite number of reasons to be happy, and a serious responsibility not to be serious.” (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi)