The Magic of Play and Harry Potter
What were you like as a child? What kind of games did you play? What did you imagine when you were daydreaming? What roles did you take on?
Did you play teacher, holding the attention of your stuffies? Were you the doctor, saving people from their boo-boos with Ninja Turtle band-aids? A warrior on their way to battle and avenge? Maybe you were an explorer with a magnifying glass, parsing each blade of grass looking for clues to a mystery.
What if I told you that this time spent daydreaming, imagining, and innovating is actually useful to you in your adult life as well. Play is a sacred practice. It is something that we often fail to practice or prioritize as adults. Work, dishes, teeth brushing, all things we must do. All things that produce a result. Finger painting, playing dress up, laying in the grass on a blanket, all things that seemingly do not.
One might argue that these activities aren’t “productive” and with so many things to do, why waste time? These activities and many more that fall into the category of play are actually ways in which we allow our adult selves to spend time with younger versions of us. Younger versions or parts that desperately need the adults they didnt get.
I hate Harry Potter. I came of age when the first book came out and I think I was the only kid in 6th grade that didn’t read it. Already disconnected from my peers at that age due to being at yet another new school, my disdain for wizards and hogwarts and my refusal to pick Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, made the chasm between me and the other kids even wider.
And then, at 35, in therapy, my 12 year old part said loud and clear, “go get Harry Potter”. She had refused to talk to me otherwise. It was all I could access. Adult me had feelings about this request. My familiarity with the parts work process won out. I knew that if I trusted this 12 year old part to be the expert on her own experience, it would lead to build the trust with her that would give her what she needed to update and come into the current moment. The present where she could unburden and heal. Where she didnt have to be the adult.
So, I found myself at the bookstore, buying my first ever Harry Potter. On a bench by the river, I delved into the wizarding world. 3 chapters in, my eyes full of tears, “I get it” I told her. Harry had the words that she didn’t have to express how she was feeling. Alone. Unwanted. Tucked away in a proverbial staircase. I could feel the part cry with me. And we began to heal.
Our child selves hold wisdom that we can’t even imagine. They have unapologetic boundaries. They know the value of imagination. They lack inhibition to look silly or try something new. Play is practice. Play is language. Play is mastery.
This summer, Elizabeth and I are committing to play. We need some time to create, to sink in, and to play in a way that restores us. On a summer afternoon, in the heart of Asheville, we are hosting a sweet little workshop. We’re gonna play. We’re gonna breath. We’re gonna day dream. We’re gonna connect with ourselves. We’d love it if you joined us. Workshop is June 28, 2024 from 12-2 in Montford. This is an in person event and its only $40. PLUS: a significant portion of the proceeds go to Operation Olive Branch to aid displaced families in Palestine. CEASEFIRE NOW.