"Taylor will you play with me?"

It's the question that every adult dreads after a long day of being all adulty (School, work, whatever).

"Will you play with me?" 

I know that during most of high school I hated to hear the words. I mean after a long day of "learning," clubs and sports, I only had one thought on my mind: Sleep. Well, I mean sleep eventually, but first probably texting friends and facebook, but I mean I definitely wasn't thinking about playing with toddlers. My whole thought process changed before my senior year though. I realized that it would likely be my last complete summer home for a while. The thought of having a new normal really makes you rethink your priorities, and I realized that mine were waaaay to "me-centered." To combat my selfish attitude about my time, and to make sure I soaked up every possible minute with my sisters, I made a vow: 

 I would say yes to play EVERY SINGLE TIME.

 It didn't matter where, when or what, I would drop everything to play with my sisters every single time that they asked. Did take me longer to do chores? Did I miss out on some much needed suntanning time? Did I realize that I was a little out of shape? Yes, but I can honestly say that it was the best summer ever. I laughed harder, tickled better and cuddled longer with my sisters than I ever had before. I grew up that summer by being a kid again. 

Unfortunately, I had to grow older, and for the past two years that means less time at home with my sisters, but that summer experiment is still with me. I understand that I can't stop the aging process; I have to mature, become more responsible, and do things I don't always want to do (aka work/file taxes/pay for college). That's inevitable. What isn't necessary, is that I give up the joy of play.

After that summer, I made a vow of sorts in order to make sure that I never lose the child-like wonder that I have cherished for so long. I'm sharing it with you because I think that in our fast-paced, success-based society it is easy to forget the joy that we once had as children. It's easy to care more about work, school and toys than the people that we are blessed with. So here it is, my 5-part vow to be a child every chance I get. 

I vow to...

1) Always JUMP into a pool. Never scoop to feel the water, never take the stairs, never slowly crawl over the edge: Jump. 

2) Always chase butterflies (usually moths). It doesn't matter if I'm not wearing butterfly-chasing appropriate clothes. I run. I trip. I jump. I flail my arms around like a mad-man. I clasp my hands tight and I don't let that little guy go. 

3) Always have a snowball fight. I can never put a snow-ball fight on hold to go put on warmer clothes. If I am hit by a snowball as I get out of a car carrying a full load, I will turn around, put my stuff down, bend over, scoop up a hand-full of snow, and start running. 

4) Always give piggy backs. There is no excuse for not giving a piggy back (unless I have a signed note from my doctor. 

5) Always laugh. Sometimes kids' jokes aren't actually funny. Usually my first thought isn't, "That's hilarious!" Usually it's, "Huh?" But I will laugh, a deep heart-filled laugh at every joke I am told by a kid. 

So with these vows I promise to Always Play. I promise that no matter how inconvenient the timing is, no matter how gross the game is and no matter how tired I am, I will always make time for play. 

So yesterday did I rip off of my socks and shoes to jump into a disgusting little pond, to wade knee-deep in filthy water on the hunt for frogs? Darn tootin' I did. Why? Well I had 6 little girls who really wanted "Aunt Taylor" to play with them.  And did I carry a giggling kid way farther than I probably should of (my back is killing me)? Yup! Did I run up a hill at full speed? You bet. And did I jump in the pool right after I had finally dried off? Of Course. Why? Because no matter how old I get, playing will never grow old.