“Assembled for Battle” part 2

When I was a kid, my brother and I would play. And I don’t mean just play. We would really PLAAAAY. Some kids would sit down and play board games or get up and play freeze tag or sit down again and play video games. Not us. We’d do all those things all at the same time. We would set up the monopoly board, build mountains with blankets and climb them with our g.i. joe, our thundercat, our transformer, our barbie doll, our yarn squid, and teddy bears in our nimble little hands while wiping off the poster paint. We’d build worlds as easily as we’d demolish them, run ourselves ragged and dirty with the wind in our hair like children do — all in the comfort of home. Outdoors was an adventure too. But most of the time, we didn’t notice whether we were indoors or out. I’m talking about the spirit of PLAY. Our fantasies took us anywhere but the mundane. Because when you grow up without a lot of money, and without your parents around, you grow up with even less limits on the imagination. And then you learn to PLAY.

Luckily, we lived in the relatively quiet ‘burbs — there wasn’t much chance to get into a life of crime. Except I imagined and acted out a lot of criminal behavior, probably from watching a lot of television. There was always good and evil, and I was fascinated. The Holograms vs the Misfits. Cobra Commander vs She-ra. Decepticons vs Autobots. What side are YOU on? You must choose.

I instinctively wanted to be an honorable and courageous Autobot, while still acting out Megatron to a perfect T. Optimus Prime was always, and always will be, the ultimate hero/martyr. I liked being that, too. There was always plenty of blood and guts and glory filling our days. It was exciting and fresh. We didn’t plan out our stories, but always knew instinctively how it would end. (good over evil, of course! or a snack.)

Though my brother played, I got the feeling he was more on the passive side. He was able to see everything that we were creating, that I could only see in the moment. He would sit surrounded in our fantasy world and be amused. Or horrified! Or laughing! Between school, dance, piano and viola lessons, I lived to entertain my brother and myself with songs and play. In our downtime we’d watch tv for inspiration. Because nothing else seemed like play to me. Everything else was boring! The outside world didn’t exist! And in PLAY, we were truly free and happy and creating and expressing ourselves as we wished.

That was growing up.

Now that I’m a bonafide Transformer, I look around my digs, I look out at the view on the river, and I look at my dogs keeping my feet warm, and I feel like playing all the time. My brother is on the other side of the country now, playing in his own way too. I feel a ton of warm gratitude right now, for the gift of PLAY. Because without it, life would be work. Life would be hard. Healing would mean trouble, personal growth would go unrewarded, and love and understanding would be estranged travelers on the road of life. Without Play, I would be numb and faithless. I’d be a criminal! I would be…Megatron.