Have you ever wondered why, as they grow older, people become sleepier and more rigid?

Do you remember looking at the world upside down through your legs as a kid?

That’s the funniest shape the world around could have. The people are upside down, and as severe as they seem, you can’t take them too seriously. Likewise, the buildings are upside down, and that perspective changes sizes, shapes, and even colors. After a while, with your head down, the look becomes warmer, and so do the colors.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The kids have a funny way of looking at what’s around them. And for them, everything is a straight game and fun. But, at the same time, they are earnest about playing. When they are horse riders, they have the ride of their lives. They give their all and fake nothing. When they play the cop, the mother, or the driver, they have that innocence of playing seriously.

I’ve often looked at the world and the people around me with a child’s eyes—curiosity, urchin, fun, and openness. Even now, I see life as a giant playground. The people around me can be my playmates, my resource treasurers, or game designers; my roles are just different games or different levels, different skins, and armor.

The good part about a game is that you can start it and stop it whenever you want it. So you have a sense of remote control over it. You can also choose your character, weapons, and skins that work best with your strategy.

When hitting the „game on,” I am there with all seriousness, with all my resources, and with the urchin of an adolescent who knows he has access to the remote. I am upset when I lose battels; I replay them in my mind over and over like chess movements backtracking. I try to get my lessons and then play again. Sometimes are the same players, and sometimes I change the map or the character. When I am tired, I wait for my character to recharge, upgrade, and come back wiser and more forceful.

When it is too painful, I pause, sit back, and let the game continue without me for a few rounds. But I always return to the game. Sometimes when I take a more extended break, life calls me back to play and reminds me about the remote control. And that is the gift of it!

A giant ever-changing playground with lots of playmates and exciting games.

How do you play your life game?

Enjoy.

M.