play with your heart

R. and O. slept over the night I turned 31.  As per usual, the birthday girl made a list of [n+1] things to do before she turns [n+1] years old. This year my goals outstrip both [n+1] things and [n+1] years. What a wonderful feeling.

R. and I got to talking about a t-shirt she had seen. It said, "If you want to be a winner, play with your mind. If you want to be a champion, play with your heart." I love the multivalence of this. It doesn't mean only play with passion; it means also that your heart is a thing to be played with. It's a beloved old baseball glove, not a hard, sharp gemstone to be put in a display box and guarded. Because playfulness is a form of risk, and risk is an engine for progress.

I'm going to keep this in mind for the next two months, while I'm traveling and working on the writing that I told myself for years I would give myself time to do. I'm very excited for this time. Who knows what adventures happen when you play with your heart!

I hope to post a lot here, but if I'm not accessible, then just have faith that I'll be thinking loving thoughts about all of you. Off to Xinjiang now!