Play ... It's Good for You!!

Ahhhh, summer…  Hot, sunny weather...  Hitting the road in the RV.  Family vacations at the lake.  Golfing. Biking. Hiking.  Boating.  Taking time to simply PLAY.

Play is the single most significant factor in determining our success and happiness according to Stuart Brown, author of the book “Play:  How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul”.  Everyone needs to play more.  Play is a way that we bond with others, become more innovative and creative, refine certain skills and increase our happiness.  It helps us learn and makes us more resilient.

 According to Brown, play is purposeless, fun and pleasurable.  It possesses an inherent attraction – you don’t play to reach some other end, it is an end in itself.  Playing is a normal activity for most children but not for adults.  As we become older, taking time to play feels like a guilty pleasure.  A distraction from real work and life.  It is perceived as unproductive – unless it is competitive play.  In fact, there is a strong correlation between success and playful activity.

SO PLAY MORE!  Go ahead, goof off, joke around, daydream – it can make you smarter at any age.  Play includes art, books, movies, music, comedy, flirting, etc.  The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression.  Why do we feel that productive work requires us to be so serious?

Here are a few activities in and around Calgary to put you in a “Playful” state of mind!

Go to a music festival  –  Calgary Folk Festival July 24 – 27th, International Blues Festival July 28 to August 3rd  Fringe Festival August 1 – 9th, ReggaeFest August14 – 16th,  Carifest August 23rd – there are lots to choose from. 

Shakespeare by the Bow – spend a summer’s evening in the park.  Many shows during the week at 7 pm with weekend matinees at 2 pm from June 26th to August 9th.

Globalfest – who doesn’t like fireworks?  August 14 to 23.  The biggest annual pyromusical fireworks festival West of Quebec and East of the Canadian Rockies!  At Elliston Park nightly starting at 6:15 pm.

Marda Gras Street Festival – Each year on the second Sunday in August, the streets of Marda Loop come alive with the New Orleans-themed festival. 

Stampeders Football – August 9th against the Ottawa Redblacks is the Family Day Game.  Kickoff is at 5:30 pm and there will be face painting and activities for kids of all ages.

Western Rodeo at Heritage park August 9 – In celebration of the park’s 50th anniversary – bull riding, barrel racing, bronc riding and even mini-chuckwagons.

Taste of Calgary – the city’s outdoor festival of food and drinks is back at Eau Clair’s Festival Plaza August 14 – 17.

Dragon Boat Race & Festival – August 23-24 at North Glenmore Park see the comradery, teamwork and inspiration that is on display in this competition.

Go see a concert at Heritage Park under the stars on Heritage Day August 4th featuring Juno award winning Canadian songstress Holly Cole, Sarah Slean and country duo, The Stellas.

Baseball, Spruce Meadows, the Zoo, Calgary Corn Maze, Olympic Oval, Calgary Tower, Rosebud Theatre, numerous Parks, concerts at the Saddledome….

Oh and one more thing … Don’t forget about our Annual Golf Tournament, September 11, 2014 at Valley Ridge Golf Course.   Print off the Registration form from our Home Page at www.advociscalgary.ca.

There’s more to summer in Calgary than just the Stampede.  Whatever you do, enjoy the lazy days of Summer.  After the long, cold winter – remember the polar vortex?? – you deserve it.