I talked about a HOPE Chest yesterday ... The same book, Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sara Ban Breathnach, had another interesting idea ...
Creating A Toy Box
I pray you ... your play needs no excuse. Never excuse.
- William Shakespeare
When my daughter was born, one of the unheralded joys of motherhood was that I finally had a legitimate excuse for buying toys. As Katie grows older and her gift preferences evolve from miniature china tea sets to compact discs and clothes, I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need an excuse anymore to make toys part of my life. If I am to continue to grow as a human being and an artist, it's imperative for me to respect the power of play. That's why I have my own toy box!
Playing is hard for most women I know. Creating your own toy box symbolically suggests the importance of fun if you are to function at full throttle.
First, Find the perfect box. A wicker picnic basket, or a small wooden or fabric covered box with a lid can do duty as a toy chest. But the lid is the most important feature because what foes in there is your business. These are your toys. Your toy box. Maybe you'll share. Maybe you won't. Take it to your bedroom and put it high on a shelf in your closet. Close the door.
Now, this week, plan a creative excursion to begin filling it. Take $10 and go to a well-stocked five and dime or a great stationery and gift shop. Get some stickers, some colored paper clips, some pretty pencils and some whimsical erasers. Now look through the funny cards. Get a few that tickle your fancy. What else do you see? A milk jug in the shape of a cow, a string of chili pepper lights, a magic wand? Store your stickers and your cards in your toy box until the right moment comes along for you to use them, place the paper clips and erasers on your desk at work, hang the chili pepper lights over your spice rack, put the cow milk jug in the refrigerator. Laugh when you see your toys and let them visually remind you to LIGHTEN UP!
Now think about the toys you have yearned for as a child but never had. It's not too late to own a Steiff stuffed teddy bear, build a beautiful dollhouse with real electric lights, or complete a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Start changing your birthday and holiday wish list. You don't have to get a dust-buster if what you really want is an antique french Jumeau porcelain doll, "Tell the people in your life your new preferences.
"Play is the exultation of the possible," Martin Buber reminds us. Now get your toys. Go out and play like a good big kid!
(entry from Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sara Ban Breathnach)
I will just have to confess that I am a big kid ... I have always liked toys ... I don't need to go anywhere to get toys ... I'll just be rounding all my toys up and putting them in a cool box!
I have quite a collection of stuffed animals in the guest room all over the guest room bed. They always bring a smile to overnight guests, even if they don't sleep with them!
I have a basket near my desk that has assorted koosh balls (squishy rubbery balls that come in all sorts of colors), some light up toys that light and flash when I toss them from hand to hand ... they help me think!
I have "magic wands", light up pens, and a pen that looks like an alien pink boxer in my pen holder. I have two crocks of markers, magnifying glasses (liked them even before I actually needed them), various size cigar boxes with cds, office supplies, cards and stickers ...
I have a box full of stuff that I find and collect for beading but I never put it with the beads because it's so much fun to open the box and play with the beads and charms and miniature things ... Wonder if I'll ever really make them into jewelry that I will wear once in a while or keep them in this box where I "play"?
I have a pretty large pen-light collection ... rave lights really ... flashing, blinking colored lazar pen lights that are just fun to play with. I have one lazar pen light that a friend gave to me years ago. When you press the button, it shines I Love You in bright red script on any surface ... That silly little light walked with me through recovery. There were nights that I would shine I Love You on the ceiling before I went to sleep. It cheered me up, tucked me in, and reminded me that I was loved and worth loving. Most pen lights run on watch batteries and they don't last very long, but this faithful little pen light has been tucking me in for YEARS!
I have another basket full of those little gift books that people have given me over the years ... Sometimes, I read myself a quick inspirational story ... It's fun!
I had a friend who made kaleidoscopes ... gorgeous works of art really ... She gave me one ... and another friend gave me another one ... so I have a few. For no reason at all, they are fun to look through ... I look through them sometimes and just let my mind wander ... changing thoughts like the kaleidoscope changes colors ... relaxing!
I LOVE TOYS! Maybe, I've given you a few ideas of toys you might like?
Life doesn't have to be all work! We can give ourselves permission to play! It's FUN!
Life doesn't have to be all work! We can give ourselves permission to play! It's FUN!
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