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<span style="font-size: large; color: #008000;"><strong>Chapter Two:  The Year of Play</strong></span>

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All good things must come to an end, and <strong><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/" target="_blank">Chapter One: The Year of Living Curiously </a></strong>is finished.  365 curiosities lived, and 365 blog posts (+ extra credit bonus features) are completed.

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The good thing going forward is that I can now like a normal person.  1 - 2 posts <em>a week</em> (compared to last year's 1 post <em>a day</em>) feels like Blogger Heaven.

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Here's "The Plan" for The Year of Play:

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1 playdate a week.  That's 52 playdates a year.  And because I'm one of those over-achiever types, expect bonus play throughout the year.

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<strong>Why "Play"?  Isn't that for kids?  </strong>

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Heck, no.  Play is the fountain of youth, my friends.

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I used to play for a living.  For 16 years, I was an early childhood educator sharing the wonder of the performing and visual arts with young children.

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And I wasn't one of those sit-on-the-sidelines types of teachers.  I threw myself into the middle of the kiddie mosh pit and sang, danced, and acted my heart out right along with them.  For art projects, I donned a smock, rolled up my sleeves, and got gooey.

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My students' parents used to marvel at my energy level.

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"How do you do it?" they would ask.

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"Daily double shots of espresso," I would joke.

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The real reason?  I was very in touch with my inner child.  Play keeps your body, mind, and spirit supple and energized.

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<strong>I used to play for a living.  Now I play for a blog.  </strong>

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I "retired" from teaching in 2008.  As a result, my inner child stopped getting as much exercise as she used to.  I realized this when Mondo Beyondo forced my soul to explode at The World Domination Summit.

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It's not as gruesome or weird as it sounds.  You really should read more about it<strong><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/06/12/day-252-soul-explosion/" target="_blank"> here. </a> </strong>

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And if you don't feel like clicking over <strong><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/06/12/day-252-soul-explosion/" target="_blank">here</a>, </strong>allow me to summarize:

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The dynamic duo of Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen, founders of <strong>Mondo Beyondo</strong>, lead an audience of bloggers, entrepreneurs, and other creative peeps through an inspirational activity.  After pairing up with a fellow audience member, we were asked to share a pivotal moment in our lives with our partner.  Our partner then recited the 3 values that they felt were most significant in our story.  We were then asked to tattoo the value that resonated most somewhere on our body with a Sharpie.

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[caption id="attachment_5936" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Tattoo of Great Significance"]<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/06/12/day-252-soul-explosion/img00446-20110605-2309/" rel="attachment wp-att-5936"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5936" title="IMG00446-20110605-2309" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG00446-20110605-2309-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>[/caption]

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New chapters.  42 in numerology.