As a child, I spent a lot of time ‘playing house’. This usually consisted of myself and my little sister–although sometimes my cousins or friends took part as well–creating an alternate reality via our imagination. I went full-send in my commitment to the game, building elaborate backstories for myself and the other characters in my make-believe life. Most kids just chose a different name for themselves, if that–but if you were playing house with me, you would know my name, my family members’ names, my hobbies, my struggles, my goals. And I would want to know yours, too.
I wasn’t trying to escape my ‘real life’ per se, but rather I just really loved the idea of having infinite lives I could live through this game. All I had to do was say, “okay this is who I am today…” and then I could just be it!! It was fun to try on different personas and play different roles such as mother, little sister, twin (a personal fave due to the Olsen twins and movies like The Parent Trap that glorified the twin life in my mind) and occupations like teacher, veterinarian, actress, or traveling circus acrobat. I never got bored of it, although like all things, at some point I unknowingly played my last game of house.
The name ‘playing human’ is partially a nod to this cherished relic of my childhood. The more I’ve explored my philosophical and spiritual perspectives on “what is the meaning of life?” the more I realize that my house-playing days were a metaphorical microcosm for life as a whole. We’re all just playing human together. We’re all exploring the different parts of ourselves, and creating the story of who we are.
Kinda cute when you think about it, right? That’s really how I see this life. You’re welcome to disagree (as with anything I ever say here) but this is my reality.
Being human is a lot–it’s heavy, it’s confusing, it’s challenging, it’s painful, AND it’s freaking magical!! It’s beautiful, it’s glorious, it’s inspiring, it’s mesmerizing. I believe that we are here on Earth to have the fullest experience we can. To BE HUMAN. To have feelings!! To think thoughts!! To live in a body!! To ask questions and seek answers!! To be born, and then to die, and to experience and explore as much as we can in between.
Part of that process involves being socially-conditioned by society and our internal family systems, hard-wiring our subconscious minds with wounded patterns that try to keep us safe–and then embarking on the journey of healing: Becoming self-aware to the patterns that don’t serve us and unlearning those habits, consciously choosing who we want to be and rewiring our body and brain to make this the new default.
I don’t think there’s inherent meaning to life, but not in a nihilistic way. I think that part of being human is the art of creating meaning. We crave it for a reason. I think that yearning to feel a sense of purpose is a motivating, creative force within us that guides us toward what is most true to each of us.
I think it’s fun. I’m out here having a fucking BLAST being human. For me, it is play. I’m playing human. I think it’s the best game ever.
Thanks for being here and playing with me. Let’s be friends.
This is my kind of party. Whoop whoop!!
YAYYYY im so excited for this ❤️❤️