Remembering to Play

The other day I allowed myself the luxury of playing in the pool with my children. I frequently "lounge" in the pool, floating, relaxing and reading an occasional book. But as I watched Anna and Jake pretend to be dolphins frolicking in the "surf". It came to me, that I was missing out. So to their surprise after fixing a poolside picnic. I did a cannon ball. When I surfaced, the both looked at me giggling and exclaiming... "Mom you got your hair wet!" was from Anna and Jake, well of course he commented on the size of my splash.
So, for the next two hours we played. My children reminded me how liberating it is to dive under the water, to do a hand stand and to just be in the moment. I think as we get older, we get so busy planing the course of the day, week or even month and we forget to be in the now. So I have made a pack with myself to play, not just go through the motions but to really play. To allow my inner child to express herself. I know Anna and Jake had a great time swimming. I also know "little me" had a great time and can't wait to come out to play again soon.