The Power of Adventure and Play

Why Adults Still Need Recess

There’s something about saying yes to an adventure that wakes up apart of us we didn’t even realize had been sleeping. Recently we gathered as a group of friends and rode down to the beach. We spread out our towels when we got there, kicked off our shoes, and let the day find it’s rhythm. There was laughter, salty snacks, conversations, and eventually gave into the pull of the ocean and dove in.

For a few hours we played in the water, tossed the ball, rode bikes, and just connected. No one was checking their phones, or what needed to be done later. We were fully there, soaking in the sunshine and salt water.

Too often we forget this side of ourselves. We slip into what i call sleep mode. Not actually “sleeping” but that autopilot way of living where the days blur into one and we get stuck in the day to day needs instead of wants. We wake up, check our phones, sometimes rush into our routines, tackle the to do list, and collapse into bed only to do it all over again.

It’s functional, sure, but it’s not alive. Sleep mode keeps us safe and steady, but it also dulls our sense of wonder. We stop looking up at the sky, stop laughing until our sides hurt, and we lose track of time.

Play mode on the other hand is freedom. It’s dropping the plan and leaning into the emotion of joy. It’s movement, spontaneity, laughter, and connection. It’s the spark that reminds us that we are alive, not just managing life. There’s something about saying yes to an adventure that wakes up a part of us we didn’t even realize had been sleeping.

Why Play Matters

Play isn’t just for children, its a lifeline for us adults too. Somewhere along the way, we get convinced that play is something we’re supposed to outgrow. We trade recess for routines, imagination for obligations, and spontaneity for carefully managed calendars for us and our family. But the truth is, our minds, bodies and hearts still need play as much as we did when we were kids.

Play matters because it connects us with the emotion of joy. It break up the monotony of sleep mode and reminds is that we are more than our responsibilities. It gives our minds space to breathe, softens the edges of stress, and even helps us process the hardest parts of life.

On a physical level, play gets us moving. Whether it be riding bikes, swimming in the ocean, kicking the ball around, or laughing so hard our stomach hurt. Play recharges our energy in ways a check off list never could.

And maybe most importantly for me is how play reminds us who we are at our core. It awakens creativity, loosens the grip of perfectionism and teaches us that the emotion of joy doesn’t need to be earned, its always available if we need it.

Play is not a luxury, its essential. Without it, we forget what it feels like to be fully alive.

Adventure Together

One of the best parts of that day wasn’t just the ocean or the sunshine, it was sharing it. There’s something about adventuring side by side that deepens bonds in away conversations alone can’t.

That showed up beautifully in a moment with Gunnar, one of our friends’ kids. He had just learned to ride a bike and we decided to take it down Grand Ave, the biggest hill. As he pedaled forward, we rallied around him. We rode along side, all of us beaming with pride, as he made it down the hill and along the bike path.

Play mode is powerful on its own, but when you step into it with others, it multiplies. The joy bounces between people like sunlight reflecting on the ocean water. It builds a kind of connection that no group chat can replicate.

Waking Up

By the time we packed up, skin salty, hair wild, and sun kissed in the heat, I felt different. It wasn’t just the sun or the ocean air. It was the shift from sleep mode to play mode.

Sleep mode is sneaky. It tells us that if we just keep moving through the motions of work, chores, drop offs/pick ups, errands and that we are doing enough. But the truth is that staying in that cycle too long dulls us. We become efficient but uninspired. Present, but not fully alive.

Waking up doesn’t require great plans. It just requires a choice. A choice to lean into joy when it shows up, to say yes when invitations come, and to step off the treadmill of routine and into the wide open space of play and connection. Once you tasted it, you realize how hungry you’ve been for it all along.

An Invitation

Your version of play might not be a bike ride or the beach. Maybe it’s a hike, roller skating, game night, or dancing at the club. The activity doesn’t matter, the point is choosing joy on purpose.

And maybe, like Gunnar, it’s about learning to ride the bike and going down the biggest hill that may feel a little intimidating. He could have just took a ride down to the beach in a car, but instead he chose to go down the biggest hill in town. When he reached the bottom like it was no thing, we all beamed with pride because that moment wasn’t just for him, it was our victory too. It reminded me that play and adventure doesn’t just wake up people individually. It wakens something in all of us when we share.

So here is an invitation. Find your own version of play. Maybe it’s saying yes to something creative you have been putting off, just allowing laughter to come in, or calling up a friend to plan something spontaneous and fun. Whatever it is, try not do it alone, bring someone if you can. Rally together.

Life is not meant to lived in sleep mode. It’s meant to be awakened, celebrated, and shared. So gather your friends, grab a towel, face the hill, and let the world remind you how good it feels to play.