Spring really is here now…maybe the sun will even come out soon. If at all possible, take a break from all of the stuff you are running around doing, even if that means some things don’t get done. I am writing this blog while sitting on the porch at our farm in the country, watching my son hunt for tadpoles.
I am not sure you can even qualify it as hunting. You simply put on your favorite rubber boots, find a great big puddle and scoop them up. When you have gathered enough to satisfy your hunting urge, you pour them all back to continue their metamorphosis. Wouldn’t it be nice if all we needed in life to grow and thrive was a muddy puddle? You would not even need to keep it clean.
Life these days seems to move at lightening speed and we find ourselves waking up each morning in a panic, already anxious about how in the world we are going to accomplish all of the items on our list. Working for a staffing company in Indianapolis we know that as the job market begins to improve and job opportunities in Indianapolis open up, job seekers and those looking for a career change are feeling like there are not enough hours in the day. You start to feel that the more you do, the more you will get done – but the truth is the more we do, the more we find to do and when the end of the day comes, we all feel defeated. We all run at this pace and teach our kids to run at this pace too until one day we realize that life is passing us by and we are just running from here to there and doing things, but things never all get done so we do more things and then there is no time to enjoy ourselves. No time to step back and look at all of the things we have been doing and enjoy the results.
Now, not everyone is like that. Many people have an inate ability to relax and enjoy life, all the while holding down a great job. My husband is a perfect example and he is the reason that I don’t waste my life running around doing things all of the time. His dedication to the outdoors has turned this city girl into a part time country girl and it has become a survival tactic.The upside? It forces me to participate in his love for the outdoors and to truly appreciate a long walk in the woods and these days, stomping in mud puddles.
I recently read an article titled "Play Power: How to Turn around our creativity Crisis" in which the author, Laura Seargeant Richardson stated:
During my keynote speech at MIT’s Sandbox Summit last year, I suggested that "Play is the greatest natural resource in a creative economy." In the future, economies won’t be driven by financial capital or even the more narrowly focused scientific capital, but by play capital as well.
Clearly, hunting for tadpoles is good for you and for your kids. So, get up a little earlier than usual. Get that resume updated and ready to send. Contact your local friendly staffing agency, That’s Good HR, for some help in your job search and then put on your rubber boots and go outside and play. Find a mud puddle and see if you can find some tadpoles. If even for an hour, it will energize you to get back to work with more vigor than before.
