River
Active member
I was hanging out with my partner and one of our best friends the other day and the subject of work vs play came up in our conversation. At some point I said that it's a damn shame we don't have an English word (to my knowledge) that means both work and play, because the rigid segregation of these concepts into wildly separate domains seems to create all sorts of problems for us. ("Us" being people in our culture, whatever the hell that means.)
Of course, this being the polyamory forum, I'm thinking particularly about how we "work on our relationships" and "work on ourselves" in relation to ... well, relationships.
Work implies a kind of heaviness, seriousness..., an occasion for discipline and yoking ... and sort of lording it over ourselves to be sure that we don't be to lax and comfortable and lighthearted.
But some of the best "inner work" and "relationship work" is also done in an atmosphere of lighthearted playfulness, even joy and ease. Too serious and heavy an attitude can insure that good work doesn't get done. Right?
I'm hoping someone here will know a word from some language, somewhere, ... French? Japanese, Swahili?" ... that means both work and play. If there is no such word we can borrow into English, perhaps we poly folk should invent one. We're going to be needing it.
Of course, this being the polyamory forum, I'm thinking particularly about how we "work on our relationships" and "work on ourselves" in relation to ... well, relationships.
Work implies a kind of heaviness, seriousness..., an occasion for discipline and yoking ... and sort of lording it over ourselves to be sure that we don't be to lax and comfortable and lighthearted.
But some of the best "inner work" and "relationship work" is also done in an atmosphere of lighthearted playfulness, even joy and ease. Too serious and heavy an attitude can insure that good work doesn't get done. Right?
I'm hoping someone here will know a word from some language, somewhere, ... French? Japanese, Swahili?" ... that means both work and play. If there is no such word we can borrow into English, perhaps we poly folk should invent one. We're going to be needing it.
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