Play without 'things'

Once upon a time I pitied impoverished children shown playing on dirty lots with only handmade toys.

Then I took my children to a place free of televisions, computers, iphones, Nintendos, action figures and plastic toys of any sort.

All we packed were books, playing cards, pens and notebooks.

The children were left to their own devices--their imaginations and their sense of adventure to create things to do.

They explored and played make believe games for hours on end.

They discovered amazing critters and created a small village habitat for crickets, grubs and ants they coerced with small pieces of cookie leftover from snack time.

They collected scraps of wood from a group building fences and and used it to build ships.

Each time I caught a glimpse of these dirty, sweaty, happy boys, all I could think of was John Eldredge's book Wild At Heart.

The words "I'm bored" or "What can I do now" were not uttered a single time.

And we didn't even play cards until the very last day.

After a long, chilly Winter full of inside play, it was a wonderful kickoff to Spring to see them reminded of how much more fun creative outdoor play can be!

It was also a reminder to me of how easy it can be to 'feel sorry' for people who have less, when what they often possess is freedom from the extraneous things that distract us from what matters most.