Geocaching IS Recess!!!!

I’ve always searched inside myself, looking for the reason that the “GeoBug” bit me so hard.  It was instantaneous addiction for me.  No thinking about it.  No trying it out to see if I liked it.  Nope. Not me.  From the first description of Geocaching I read on the back of “Geocaching for Dummies”, I was hooked.  I never really understood why…  Until now.  Geocaching is recess!!

In this all too adult world in which I am so often trapped, geocaching has provided me a link to the past.  A way to reconnect with childlike wonder and enthusiasm long since thought lost.  Things I didn’t even realize that I missed.

Creativity and imagination had re-entered my world and I welcomed them whole-heartedly.

I was sure that the world was different. Mundane things like grocery shopping, going downtown, trips to the dentist, all become mini adventures and fact-finding missions. I kept thinking: “Would this work for a cache container?” “What is that monument over there?” “Oh! That’s a great place for a cache!!”. In retrospect the world wasn’t any different, but my interactions with it had changed dramatically. Creativity and imagination had re-entered my world and I welcomed them whole-heartedly.

I began seeing the places I was in and being present in the places I was seeing. The world looked new again. I quit driving past places and actually went in them. I never realized how much you just don’t see from behind the wheel of a car. Every so often stop the car, park and get out and look around. I might just be an amazing experience. Adulthood is a 24/7 reality. I look forward to each and every recess with a smile.

Post inspired by TED Talk given by Tim Brown: The powerful link between creativity and play.