Games are dreams given form, and are great for working your brain too!

Do you play games? I'm not only talking about electronic games, cellphone games, video games, crossword puzzles, puzzle books, or board games. Nope, I mean any game at all. Children naturally play constantly, as it's their method of exploring interactions and the world around them. But, adults normally only play formal games of sport or video. Yes, we do get together at parties and play Charades or other goofy things, yet they never really rise beyond the silly.

Yup, Chutes and Ladders, Checkers, Hide and Seek, and the inimitable Tag are games not only of mind and body, but dreams. Dreams are the soul of our childhoods. I wanted to be an astronaut. My brother wanted to be a fighter pilot. When we played games we often did exactly those things. Sure, the game might be Uno, but in our minds we were flying around and destroying galactic interlopers and shooting down bad guys. It's amazing what the imaginations of the truly inspired can come up with.

I do my best to inspire imagination with the stories I write, but games do a far better job than I ever will. No, I don't want to regress to childhood, like a modern Peter Pan, since I really like being an adult. What I do hope is for people to enjoy their lives more. You don't need to be serious all the time. Have a bit of fun. Let your dreams out of captivity once in a while and see what fun you can have. Play a game!

- M