A Toy...

 

I loved toys and games. I could spend hours playing and, looking back, I think I was doing more than having fun. Playing was a way of escaping from a not-so-ideal childhood, connecting with people who were somehow like me and, simply, enjoying myself.

Some of those toys are long gone, but a few of the things I learned through them are still around.

The important thing is not winning the game. There was one particular game I loved playing with my friends. It was extremely complicated and the competition could last forever! But I never kept the score. What I remember is being there, playing together. The game was a bridge to other people.

Maybe this is worth remembering today as we play many different games at work, in our families and in society. Winning can be important, but if it becomes more important than the people we are playing with, we may win the game and lose something much more valuable.

The best toys are not necessarily the most beautiful ones. I remember having a model of the Pink Panther that I absolutely loved. It was ugly, made of cheap plastic and probably not very good quality. But I enjoyed playing with it.

It makes me think about how easily we confuse appearance with value. Some of the best things in life don't come in beautiful packages. I feel what matters most is not how something looks, but what it brings into our lives.

And then there are desires. My mother, with a lot of sacrifice, managed to get me a very expensive toy. And on my birthday, other kids broke it… I don't think I ever completely recovered from that! But perhaps it was a good lesson and later, I realized that our desires can sometimes take us in the wrong direction. I am sure now I did not need that expensive piece of plastic and metal. What I really wanted was simply to play with the other kids in the street…

We do something similar as adults. We create expectations about people, relationships, work, possessions and the future, and many times, we forget to appreciate what is already there.

I guess growing up doesn't mean leaving our toys behind, but to understand what they were trying to teach us.

What about you? What are the toys and games you remember from childhood and what can they still teach you about life today?