https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFrlfQ9VSxQ

HOORAY FOR PLAY

To know the way, just play
At home or a café,
In Perth or Monterey,
In English or français,
Just say hooray to the frolicsome awesomeness of play

You can sing, paint or crochet
Host a round of croquet
Put your photos on display
Or shake your hips in sea spray
  
Or soak and float in bubbly peace
Take a trip to an isle in Greece
Do a cartwheel with your niece
And teach her how to spell caprice

Whatever you do, be true to you
And always, always, keep art supplies in view

Or simply wander
And gaze at the wild blue yonder
Of this idea, I can tell you are growing fonder

And if you can’t wander far
Travel where you are
Take a bus if you always go by car
Dress up like your favorite rock star
Venture into a food bazaar
Listen to your neighbor play guitar

You can play while your tea is steeping
And while the cat is sleeping
And you can play when the train is crawling
And your homework and housework are calling

Anytime of the day is good for play

You can, of course, choose not to play
But that may put you in a melancholy way
And dwindle your stores of Vitamin K

Remember it’s okay to have fun while getting things done
Fewer tasks you will shun
And fewer clouds will block the sun
A dozen errands will feel like only one
All because you added more fun

Now, if you still need one more reason
To believe that play is always in season
Remember, the more you play, 
The more you hear what your heart has to say
And the more opportunities will come your way
Hooray for play!

Photo and Play-Doh sculpture by Amanda Bergman

Incantations

Hooray for Play

NOPE

Every time you use the word nope
I mope
And can’t cope
I feel like such a dope
Calling you a misanthrope
I've gone so far as to request a meeting with the Pope
He suggested bribing you with cantaloupe
Won’t you please, please throw me a rope?
And promise me that you’ll never ever ever
Use the word nope

Nope

Click clack sparkle twinkle crinkle
Yesterday out of the blue I thought about periwinkle

Next thing I knew I booked a seven-day cruise
For which I needed a pair of chartreuse shoes

Afterward, I headed for the beach
Fully clad in peach

Which could lead you to believe  I like to tango
In a scarf tinted like a Tommy Atkins mango

But what you might not know is that with no small amount of zeal
I squeal at the slightest sight of teal

In fact, I savor it more than a four-course meal
Capped by a comforting cup of chamomile

I know, you’re wondering, what is her deal?
I swear to you, my zeal for teal is real
And that, my friends, concludes my spiel

Click Clack Sparkle Twinkle Crinkle

Simple pleasures
Are the greatest treasures

Like teaching your cat Russian
While giving him a good brushin’

Wearing a polka-dot sweater
That makes you feel better

Welcoming the wide embrace
Of a weekend’s worth of white space

Interrupted by a meteoric energy rush
After cleaning with a sudsy scrub brush

Befriending the mom and pop
Who run your favorite shop

Where you meet a cocker spaniel
Who happens to be named Daniel

And take him for an afternoon stroll
To listen to your soul

Simple Pleasures Are the Greatest Treasures

Are you a word nerd?
If you’re listening to this
You’re a word nerd
Yes, you’re a word nerd
If you’re laughing at this
You’re a word nerd

If you’re filled with dismay
To hear lie confused with lay
And you thought you were daft
Till you learned a group of ducks is called a raft
You’re a word nerd

If you’re bouncin’ to this, you’re a word nerd

If you’re not into fightin’, pushin’ or shovin’
But you do always have a pun in the oven
You’re a word nerd

Scrabble, Boggle and Balderdash
At these games you’re a champ
Instead of biking or hiking
You were doing crosswords at summer camp?

Cause you’re a word nerd

Word Nerd

If you’re feeling annoyed
Because you haven’t spent enough time in the Void
At the very least you can clear the cache on your Android

If that’s not your style, you can amble for a while
But I don’t mean around the block
More like a two-hour, daydreamy, get-lost-in-the-woods kind of walk

If the very idea of that makes you balk
Well, then, my love, we need to talk

What do I have to do? Spell it out in rainbow-colored chalk?
Less thinking, more twinkling!

Less Thinking, More Twinkling

A little feng shui goes a long way
It can brighten your day
To give things away

When you give things away
You have more time to play

A little feng shui goes a long way
A little feng shui goes a long way

A Little Feng Shui Goes a Long Way

If you’re feeling stale and musty
And perchance a bit rusty  
 
There’s only one thing you can do
Try something new that’s true to you

Which could mean nibbling on a cashew while petting your cockapoo
Or concocting a brew for an impromptu barbecue
While you’re at it, you could learn Hindu
And brush up on your knowledge of the Battle of Waterloo

So what if your neighbors look at you askew
They wish they were having half as much fun as you

Yes, one of them did just learn how to play the didgeridoo
But that can hardly be compared to an overnight flight to Machu Picchu
Or a rendezvous in Kalamazoo
Where you can order fondue at an all-night drive-through

I admit that bit about the fondue drive-through may not be entirely true
But I’ll bet you a slew of lucky horseshoes
That with a hullabaloo and a dollop of derring-do
You’re gonna do something new
And you will feel anything but blue

Do Something New

Photo and animation by Avery Nakashima:
https://youtu.be/EPMK7od1L94?si=JI-_UVUIStgop2tu

Light the dark with your spark
Like an old-fashioned amusement park
Light the dark, light the dark

You were meant to shine your light
Even on the darkest of December nights
Light the dark with your spark!

Light the Dark with Your Spark

We are here
We are here
We are here
By Divine Design

We are here
We are here
We are here
By Divine Design

And that just leaves me feeling fine.

Divine Design

I am not the least bit entertained hearing you complain
On the contrary, it's a complete and utter drain
That fills me with disdain
More than Fourth of July rain
Or the most recalcitrant of stains 

Truth be told, it’s driving me insane
And I can’t wait to board a plane
To Aruba, Bali or Spain
To finally be free of the bane
Of hearing you complain

Now, if you decide to retrain your brain
To only focus on the merits of vegetable chow mein
I can be more humane
And maybe even proclaim
That you are the most virtuous of dames
Who exuberantly overcame
The inane, ingrained need to complain

Did that sound like a complaint?

Please Refrain from Complainin'

It's okay to have fun while getting things done!

Light the Dark with Your Spark

Sublime Rhymes

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