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Hard things and joy can coexist.

Small moments of lightness are part of what helps us keep going.

We can intentionally make more room for play, joy, and fun in our grown-up lives.

A dual truth I think many of us need a reminder of right now is that life can be hard and bumpy and the world may feel genuinely unwell, and there can still be a throughline of joy, play, and merriment running underneath it. Not instead of the hard, but alongside it.

We can acknowledge what is sad, scary, and difficult, and still make room for joy, play, laughter, and connection. Experiencing and creating moments of joy doesn’t mean we’re ignoring what’s hard. Sometimes, those moments are what help us carry it.

A Place for Play, Fun, and Joy

As children, we naturally gravitated towards play, often without any particular goal in mind. We reveled in the simple pleasure of it. Yet somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many of us stop playing.

As we transition into the world of work and adult responsibilities, we can reluctantly leave play behind, as societal norms and expectations suggest that everything in the “real world” is high-stakes and serious. We trade recess for productivity and tell ourselves this is simply the cost of being a grown-up. We can forget the power of silliness, the bright relief of laughter, or the comfort that comes from a shared moment of merriment because there’s always something else that needs our attention, another goal to reach, or another problem to solve.

These moments might just be what gives us a chance to breathe, reconnect with ourselves and others, and remind us there is still room for something good.

I recently had a conversation with Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic: the giant green mascot who has........

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