SECTION SUMMARY

Primal Play. We play more than any other species, and we are one of the few that does not cease to play once we reach adulthood. Play is and has always been vital for our survival and advancement as a species. It is part of our cognitive survival set, providing opportunities to learn, process what-if scenarios, experiment, and solve problems. But in the moment, true play has no particular purpose. When you play you have no attachment to the outcome. You aren’t too old or too adult to play, and you needn’t treat it like a guilty pleasure when you indulge. Embrace play with all the abandon of a child—throw yourself into it and don’t look back. It’s good for you.

The play of art. Discover your own brand of play. For many of us, the impulse is to gravitate toward something we enjoy and excel at. But the very nature of play is to explore, to innovate, to be creative, and to experience anew. Pick up a tool. Take a class at a home-supply center and build something. Arm yourself with a paintbrush, a camera, a chisel, a quilting needle. Learn a craft. The mind devises, but the hand itself thinks, designs, knows. Find the flow in focused craftsmanship. Explore art, music, reading. Or take a mental break at work and throw paper airplanes or doodle caricatures. Let your imagination run free.

Primal Thrills. The urge to explore the limits of our minds, bodies, and environment is as natural as it is stirring. There’s a certain thrill in testing your nerves, and when you’re in the heady risk of action, time stops and you become raw awareness. We are factory-wired to want to explore our limits and our world in general, and if our thirst for adventure is constantly suppressed, we become bored and develop a sense of detached fatigue. Adrenaline rushes allow you to return to ordinary life refreshed and appreciative of simple pleasures. Whatever you choose to do, do it safely, with respect for the activity and your abilities—or lack thereof—and enjoy the heightened experience of knowing you are alive.