Adults Need Better Excuses to Play

I completely misread this scene when I first looked at it.

From a distance, it had all the ingredients of one of those modern self-improvement stories. A shirtless bloke hanging from a frame, the city in the background, hard shadows, strong lines. The sort of image that usually arrives with a quote about discipline and becoming the best version of yourself.

Then I remembered what was actually happening. He was on a playground swing with his mate.

That made the photograph far more interesting.

Children never have to justify playing. Adults seem to spend years creating elaborate reasons for doing the exact same thing. Everything becomes exercise, self-care, networking, productivity or personal growth. Very few people are willing to admit they were simply enjoying themselves for half an hour.

There’s something oddly reassuring about seeing grown adults forget that for a moment.

What I like about this image is the contrast between the seriousness of the surroundings and the complete lack of seriousness in the activity itself. You’ve got railway bridges, graffiti, tower blocks and all the usual signs of a city busy getting on with important things. Then right in the middle of it, someone is swinging through the air because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Most people walking past probably didn’t give it a second thought.

Some might have smiled.

A few probably wondered if they should have a go themselves.

That’s the thing about play. It has a habit of reminding people of a version of themselves they haven’t seen for a while.

The older we get, the more carefully we manage how we’re perceived. We become sensible. Responsible. We learn how to behave in public. Then every now and again you see somebody doing something completely harmless and slightly ridiculous, and it feels surprisingly refreshing.

Not because they’re making a statement. Because they aren’t.

They were just enjoying a warm afternoon.

Which is something a lot of people forget how to do.