Easy Riders

This week a crew of three have added the extra challenge of trying to become a connected caravan of motley riders. They line themselves up at the top of the ramp, hold on, and plunge down. The wonky wheels and momentum create a careening effect that requires continued experimentation to perfect. And at the same time, perfection is clearly not required. It seems part of the joy to unexpectedly disconnect as much as it is to reach the bottom and continue still connected. “Let’s go again!”

This isn’t a performance. There are few expectations beyond fun. This is play. Wild and powerful play. Dr. Peter Gray, researcher and psychologist at Boston College, has dedicated his professional life to studying the value of play - and if one hasn’t read his celebrated work Free To Learn it’s high time to get a copy of this gem! He now also writes a substack called “Play Makes Us Human” and in all his research and writing he shares the immense value play has for the human person - something that definitely should not stop at “school age” but should instead evolve and deepen over time. 

Dr. Gray doesn’t have to convince these young people. Play is the name of the game. Or maybe they’ve named their game something entirely different, or maybe they haven’t thought of it much beyond the enjoyment of it. However called, they have the time and space to play, to experiment and explore, to stretch and enjoy their one, precious, wild life. That there are so many benefits is not why they’re doing it - but it helps us as adults remember to value it and celebrate along with them.