play..don't let him get you

Take a risk every day, even if it's small. Get home a different way, take a new path; you'll see new things. Sometimes when my friends and I go out, we make a dare for the night. I'm not revealing what we've dared one another, so don't ask. I've begun to dare myself lately. Be bolder. Do what scares you. Do what's hard. The Devil throws these challenges at us, to test us I believe. To test our character, our strengths, our person. Do not let him get you!
I went to the beach this morning and I was cranky. What's wrong with me? I should be happy. I just married the man that makes me smile everyday, I have agreat job, a beautiful new house. I was restless. I don't play enough. I need to change that. When is the last time you really played? So I got up, walked to the water, got wet, then decided to build a drippy droopy sand castle. I dug a moat and built a bridge. I'd forgotten that when you dig in the sand, deep enough, you hit a layer of shellso rock before you hit water. I loved relearning that. I was building a sand castle by myself, for no reason at all. For play. Who does that? I did.
A fifth grade girl named Margaret joined me to help. "Wow, fifth grade. When I was in fifth, we were learning cursive.""Golly, I learned that in like second grade." She was chewing grape gum and offered me a piece. "Well, don't feel bad, times are different now." We talked about her school and how she just got her ears pierced. "Not at Claire's. Their biggest selling accessory is infection." I began to blink. Was I hearing things? "That's what my mom says." She then told me her mother's cancer was in remission and how her friend Debbie is getting a second hole in her ear. "But she's allowed because she is handicapped."
Our conversation reminded me of how much I have to be thankful for. I was also glad, for the first time in my life, that I had short weakass nails... all the better to play in the sand with. A moat is a good time. Go play.