Stuart listened as each of us shared our thoughts and hopes of this time and the whole summer. He shared the biological evidence, after extensive experimental work on rats, that play is indeed not something we learn or are conditioned, but truly a part of our DNA. It is woven in our very genetic fiber. At […]
Carmel: Dr. Stuart Brown
We met with Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute of Play and author of Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, which was an amazing time for us all. What an amazing man, in touch fully with both masculine and feminine sides, authentic, genuine, funny, brilliant, a story teller, Stanford […]
Carmel: Getting Your Grove On
At a wonderful Greek restaurant, after the appetizers were served, the owner and the waiter and the chef came out with guitar and tambourine, and started playing. The atmosphere of the place shifted radically as everyone joined in clapping and cheering then they brought out two belts with bells and invited Kay and Nicki to play – and […]
Carmel: The Power of Kelp
As we would sit quietly watching the otters play and eat and groom, we were aware our boats would drift with the tide. Our guide, John, educated us to a natural braking mechanism: kelp. By holding onto the kelp we could hold our position to keep our eyes open to see each angle of the […]
Carmel: Team Work
We all decided to paddle in tandem with the kayaks which involved a lot of communication, a great deal of trust, a lot of laughter, and an ability to work as a team. We were successful in doing all of these…well for the most part!! It was a time of bonding for us all. And […]
Carmel: Getting It Right
Patti and Dee ready for sea kayaking As we set off to sea kayak, they gave us brief instruction on kayaking, paddling, and keeping the boats upright. After spending a great deal of time on the water, we felt confident in our ability to not tip the boat over. As we approached the shore, we […]
Carmel: Otters – Seals – Sea lions
We were overwhelmed with seeing over 30 otters; our guide said it was otter heaven. They were quite amazing. They camouflaged themselves in the kelp so it’s easy to miss them unless they are eating or sleeping in a raft, with tails up in the air. The seals were also playing and swimming around us […]
Carmel: Location, Location, Location
I observe that the location we choose to play has a dramatic impact on our levels of creativity. If I choose to locate myself in a dark room with little color my creativity is somewhat stifled. If I choose to find a location that inspires, engages, and invites me to play, I do…. At the Monterey […]
Carmel: Adventurous and Playful
I learned part of an adventure on play is those playmates we choose to play with, to travel with, to laugh with and be ourselves with… so from the first leg of the sabbatical travel to Carmel are the amazing, playful, delightful, lovely, fun, loving crew—Laura, Patti, Nicki, Julia, Kelly, Kay and Dee. Here are a […]
Shared Stories: The Otter and Little Boy
This video clip was shared with Pastor Dee during her recent meeting with Dr. Stuart Brown of The National Institute of Play in Carmel, California. It coincides nicely with Dee’s adventures with the sea otters on the first leg of her sabbatical adventures. http://video.yahoo.com/editorspicks-12135647/featured-24306389/playing-with-an-otter-25345251.html#crsl=%252Feditorspicks-12135647%252Ffeatured-24306389%252Fplaying-with-an-otter-25345251.html For a reminder of Pastor Dee’s upcoming travels and adventures, watch the Sabbatical Calendar on […]