Making time for play
The sheer joy of having fun in adult life is underrated yet so satisfying.
GROWING up, I wasn’t particularly good at play.
How can one be good at play? Well, for one thing, do not climb down the tyre ladder at the kindergarten playground after the first two rungs because you are frightened to go any higher.
I am quite sure my teachers noted the incident because that term, I received the equivalent of a “C” grade for playground skills in my report card, my worst performing subject.
To be fair, they were not wrong.
At my grandmother’s house, inspired by the rollicking adventures described in Enid Blyton’s children’s books, my attempts at shimmying up the tree in her garden ended in the same way – with me backing down after the first branch.
In secondary school, during a physical education (PE) lesson: As you attempt to leap over the high jump pole, set at a very accessible, beginner-friendly height, try not to get your leg caught in the frame and bring the whole thing crashing down.
I had enthusiasm, surely, and a decent level of fitness, thanks to twice-weekly jogging sessions we were put through in school.
But as an only child born to parents in their late 30s, they were precious about my well-being, which rubbed off on me. I gravitated towards books over sports, slunk away from that high jump, and never made it to the top of my grandmother’s tree.
Robbed of travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was restlessness that spurred me to say “yes” when a friend who works part-time as a surfskate coach offered to teach me the sport.
It refers to skating on a board that mimics the side-to-side motion of surfing or snowboarding, and though my friend assured me that it was “easier than skateboarding”, I was doubtful.
Still, to prevent myself from backing out, I bought a set of knee, wrist and elbow guards a few days before the session. Having spent S$25 (RM81) on the protective gear, I was determined to get my money’s worth.
And nobody was more surprised than me when, on that first session, I managed to wobble an unsteady path down the sports track that rings Singapore’s National Stadium.
Cheering me on were others on a similar quest, drawn to the adult version of PE lessons.
Longboarders weaved in and out of cones, rollerblading newbies inched along, and girls on roller skates practised their turns and dance steps.
On social media, I watched as friends picked up cycling, wake surfing, pole dancing and all manner of other sports.
Guided tours flourished. New businesses mushroomed. Just look at the number of new rock climbing gyms that have opened in Singapore – at least nine in the past two years, including at central locations such as Paragon shopping centre and Esplanade Mall.
There is no better time for this, given the relentless demands of the pandemic.
Stress and isolation have gone up, and the World Health Organisation reported a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide.
Sport, a moving meditation, offers respite. But let’s be real – it is hard to enjoy the monotony of running or lifting weights in the gym.
Throw in the element of play and motivation comes easier. Isn’t this why, as a child, PE was the best part of the timetable?
After sitting all day through back-to-back English, science and maths lessons, there was no better way to let off steam.
Remember the sheer joy of running around with friends, scuffling over a ball, yelling without having to be shushed?
Even I, an unathletic child, recognised this.
The adult equivalent is leaving work on time, parcelling out the non-urgent emails to answer tomorrow, so you can make it for an evening sports session.
In a time when working from home has resulted in longer hours and shorter breaks, rest has become ever more critical.
“When you are climbing, there is no room to think about anything else,” various people told me when I embarked on my bouldering journey last year.
Of course not, when you are teetering on a pair of tiny footholds one storey off the ground, while clinging to a sliver of a hand-hold that has room only for your finger tips!
Are your palms growing sweaty reading this? Mine certainly did, watching people scale walls 3m to 4m high with no harnesses, only crash pads below to break their fall.
But this was the nature of bouldering that captivated me – the singular focus on completing a route; the dopamine rush when you succeed; the satisfaction of waking up sore yet accomplished the next day.
I climbed a tree recently, as part of a video shoot. It was not a particularly graceful ascent and I panicked a little about the red ants crawling angrily onto my sneakers.
But if not for bouldering, I would have lacked the upper body strength and, more importantly, the courage to attempt this in the first place.
We send children to all kinds of classes – gymnastics, swimming, football and more – which, besides skills, are meant to impart the same values as PE lessons.
As it turns out, things like resilience, tenacity and body awareness are just as important and useful in adulthood.
Not to mention fun.
We grew up and went from classrooms to workplaces. But deep down, we are all big kids in the school of life, doing what we have to to get through the day.
Now, when scheduled playtime is no longer a part of our routine, it is up to us to carve out our own.
Trust me, it will be worth it. – The Straits Times/asia News Network
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