Did you know if you clench a pencil between your teeth it will elevate your mood?

And that cats don’t smile because, being loners by nature, they don’t need to?

While dogs, being pack animals, evolved with wonderfully expressive faces.

It’s a social lubricant, that little movement of the mouth.

I’m told a cat’s slow blink while gazing in your direction is the equivalent of a kiss.

And of course, a purr is the sound of a smile.

That and the thump of a wagging tail.

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Do you remember the Game of Life?

Spin the dial & move your piece forward on the path,

go to college, get a job, have a baby.

Or the cereal?

The one that Mikey liked, and he hates everything.

Little faux basketweave squares, with subtle sparkles of sugar.

Both relegated to distant memory as real life moved on.

Rarely in ways I could have anticipated.

Usually while I was making other plans.

It’s almost enough to keep one from planning at all.

But we do.

Making necessary course adjustments as we go.

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What lies beneath the surface?

It may be glassy on top,

but underneath broiling with freakish creatures

with very large teeth.

Or gentle beauties

in brilliant colors.

You won’t know until you dive in,

and it’s that very unknown

that makes you afraid.

Remember, even shark divers can be safe

when they use the proper equipment.

An air tank and regulator.

A steel cage.

Training.

A support team.

Gather what you need, then take the plunge.

Or not.

The choice is up to you.

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Become a zoologist.

Pick an animal species to study.

Note how the young ones play to practice

the work of being a grownup.

And note how the adults play, too.

Millennia of genetics and evolution

have burned the desire in their cells,

because the Universe has not yet found

a better way to get something done

than to make it fun.

Joy exists for the purpose of creating action.

Why deny yourself?

Seek it out.

Play was made for you.

Go do it.

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If you think about it,

our true needs

are so minimal.

Air.

Water.

Food.

Shelter.

Love.

My ex-husband,

before we were divorced,

wrote a metaphysical shopping list

that lived on my fridge for years.

Milk

Eggs

Bread

Beer

Butter

Metaphors

I always loved that list,

even after my love for him

had faded into a dusty memory.

We had thought we needed each other.

This turned out not to be true.

And interesting to note

that I’m allergic to everything on this list,

with the exception of metaphors.

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