Naughty?

Okay, I've been asked by the Universe to explain myself (what kind of a quirky sense of humor do you have?!), so I'll attempt to venture in that direction without getting too heady.

When I heard Trinidad holler out to the world and his Grandma that she should not forget to pick her nose, my heart warmed to witness his desire to connect. I imagined that his words landed with her completely, but I felt amused, a need for irony (yes, I may be the first to put it on the needs list, but it's big for me) met in imagining that these words did not meet needs for connection in others. Under the irony is a need for growth I anticipate being met as we are invited to further explore and connect more deeply with ourselves and each other.

Truth is, I deeply value acceptance -- for him, for me, for us all. Part of my amusement stems from my firmly held belief that love conquers all, at least in the big picture. I actually find hope in such opportunities as this when I imaginine someone being uncomfortable with certain words/phrases, but still touched by the spirit and presence of a child, particularly in a child's willingness to play with language. This tornness, as uncomfortable as it is, asks us to clarify what stands between us and the full compassion we would like to embrace. We are invited to join a conversation with ourselves and the world; what is truly alive in us, in our neighbors? How can we live most authentically and in our integrity?

To play is, in itself, a courageous act. I see it as a spontaneous exploration of the world in ourselves with trust that reconnection can occur. Play demonstrates a willingness to be fully present, usually with needs for fun and connection most alive, without worry about how one is received. It represents a trust in one's own ability to either accept and love oneself or to at least stay present as others express their needs unmet.

This playfulness, appearing both in my birthday poem ("To fool, to fool...."), and in much of the time I spent with my mom, reflects a strain of wisdom-in-presence and connection that I deeply value. The "fool" of Shakespeare's day was more than an entertainer. Again, I point to the path of King Lear.

I am aware in this moment that the strategies I reported engaging in are ones that could leave others bewildered. But this very shaking up of the predictable is something I can't help but enjoy, at least in part, even as it can bring its own share of pain. The order we impose in our "appropriate language" that attempts to touch a need for meaning in us is dependent upon the predictable, and is too easily toppled.

I would rather embrace the dynamic of connection over the predictability of propriety in any arena. I think that the practice of opening our ears and hearts to the deeper needs that drive playfulness is one that will serve us as a race and contribute to our harmony on this planet.

I love to turn a thing upside down to get to the bottom of it. At the University, my Chaucer teacher pointed out (in... was it The Wife of Bath's Tale?) that she had become cultured and educated enough to only appreciate appropriate language for most of the years of her scholarship, and it took getting a Ph.D in Medieval Studies to bring her back to an appreciation for gutter humor.

Subversive, at worst. And I wonder... would someone be willing to post a quick comment to let me know if this explanation is a contribution in clarity to why I value play with language?