First, a couple of definitions for the word play. To amuse oneself, enjoy oneself and have fun. Engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. Activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children. Being in the present moment (I added this one).
I am just going to admit it. I am completely out of juice. The task of placing my dad Skookie into a memory care home has been overwhelming. My blog, this blog with my brilliant insight will therefore be very brief. The only thing that keeps me sane is my play time. Yep, for me it is creating stories, outfits and tiny one sixth scale rooms for Barbies, Babs, Barbara, and Ken. I create, put them to music, laugh out loud, post them, and believe that others are getting a chuckle too.
Apparently, Rumi knew the secret too. Way before I did. It is really no secret. Play!
THE SHEIKH WHO PLAYED WITH CHILDREN
A certain young man was asking around,
“I need to find a wise person, I have a problem”.
A bystander said, “There’s no one with intelligence in our town except that man over there playing with the children,
the one riding the stick-horse.
He has keen, fiery insight and vast dignity, like the night sky, but he conceals it in the madness of child’s play.”
The young seeker approached the children, “Dear father, you who have become a child, tell me a secret,”
“Go away. This is not a day for secrets.”
“But please! Ride your horse this way, just for a minute.”
The sheikh play-galloped over. “Speak quickly. I can’t hold this one still for long, Whoops. Don’t let him kick you.
This is a wild one!”
The young man felt he couldn’t ask his serious question in the crazy atmosphere, so he joked,
“I need to get married,
Is there someone suitable on this street?”
“There are three kinds of women in the world.
Two are griefs, and one is a treasure to the soul.
The first, when you marry her, is all yours.
The second, is half yours and the third is not yours at all.
Now get out of here, before this horse kicks you in the head! Easy now!”
The sheikh rode off among the children,
The young man shouted, “Tell me more about the kinds of women!”
The sheikh, on his cane horse, came closer,
“The virgin of your first love is all yours.
She will make you feel happy and free. A childless widow is the second. She will be half-yours. The third, who is nothing to you is a married woman with a child.
By here first husband she had a child, and all her love goes into that child. She will have no connection with you. Now watch out.
Back away. I’m going to turn this rascal around!”
He gave a loud whoop and rode back,
calling the children around him.
“One more question, Master!”
The Sheikh circled, “What is it? Quickly! That rider over there needs me, I think I’m in love.”
“What is this playing that you do? Why do you hide your intelligence so?”
“The people here want to put me in charge. They want me to be judge, magistrate, and interpreter of all the texts.
The knowing I have doesn’t want that. It wants me to enjoy itself, I am a plantation of sugarcane, and at the same time I’m eating the sweetness.”
Knowledge that is acquired is not like this. Those who have it worry if the audience like it or not.
It’s a bait for popularity.
Disputational knowing wants customers. It has no soul.
Robust and energetic before a responsive crowd, it slumps when no one is there. The only real customer is God. Chew quietly your sweet sugarcane God-Love, and stay playfully childish.
Your face will turn rosy with illumination like the redbud flowers.
Copied from The Essential Rumi
Translations by Coleman Barks
New Expanded Edition
This is what I have for now my dear loves. Play. And some prayers to Skookie my dad, that his new journey will be beautiful and playful.
In Love Always,
Gaga Lala and Barbie, Babs, Ken, Barbara, and all those little plastic dolls.
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Cathryn S. Hudson (Gaga Lala) works with the Conscious Living Center, The School of Conscious Living and Conscious Dynamics. She is a certified teacher in the narrative tradition of the Enneagram from the School of Conscious Living and holds a BS degree from the University of Cincinnati from the School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning.