Life was feeling like Groundhog Day, each one melding into the next without any differentiation in details or character.

I picked up my kids as usual and brought them home, unloaded them and gave them a small snack to tie them over until dinner.

Everything was set for its usual routine, with the biggest decision of the day to be what could get accomplished when they went to bed. It’s a consummate battle between necessity (the laundry really needs to be put away) and energy (I don’t have the energy to even look at the chores waiting for me).

That’s when I snapped.

Without giving it a second thought, I buffered up a playlist and cranked it.

For the next hour, we had an impromptu dance party. Then ate dinner and played a game of cat and mouse with ever shifting rules dictated by a three year old.

Everything screaming for attention, begging to occupy my mind, withered from the periphery of my attention.

Life was fun for everyone.

Bed time came and the fun continued afterward, this time in subdued ways. I brought the spirit of the night with me to work the next day and subjected my students to my evergreen playlist.

They picked up a new vibe from me and smiled more than usual. I was more relaxed with them and felt in control for the first time all year.

The last six months have been utterly chaotic for me and through it all, I forgot my cardinal rule… the one I centred my graduate thesis on…

You need to play.

It’s a rule I hope to never break again.