Everyone Can Play

“He drew a circle that shut me out —
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in.”
— Edwin Markham

For just a minute imagine a solitary child on a playground at a school during recess not being allowed to join a game he very much would like to play. The other children are not being mindfully mean, they are just enjoying their game as it was created and they think that adding another player will disrupt its flow. So they ignore or otherwise not let this child play, who stands alone, watching, isolated, sad.

Now imagine a different scenario, one in which there is room for every child to play. Attitudes are structured so each additional player adds to the value of the game, even if the addition changes it. The challenge I am offering you this week involves adopting this attitude, creating this world, one in which everyone can play.

To make the most of this exercise you will need to get creative. What does this look like in your life? How can YOU include others? Also, think about the benefits of doing so. Sharon Salzberg, in her book The Kindness Handbook, wrote, “Including others (is) often like watching something unfurl and begin to flower within them.”

Such is my suggestion to you this week, to be part of this unfurling.