The latest TED Radio Hour episode is all about play and how vital it is even for, especially for, adults.

It turns out, play is not frivolous. It’s necessary for a healthy, fully functional human existence. Without regular doses of play, we become, physically and emotionally, more brittle, less resilient, and a lot less fun.

“The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” –Brian Sutton-Smith

As kids, we played like it was our job. What if, now, we did our jobs like it was just play? And what if we were intentional about seeking opportunities to play every day?

I had a colleague years ago who got me to bring my baseball glove to work so we could play catch, wearing our ties, during our lunch break. We got odd looks from passersby, but it was a delight.

There is a distinctive pleasure in physical play that mental play like board games or video games can’t match. I’ve been enjoying dashing off on my daughter’s scooter recently. And there’s Slomo.

And today, after my TED Radio Hour inspiration, I came home and dug out our baseball gloves and played catch with my 10-year-old. We had more smiles than dropped catches. And we’ve promised to get back out there again tomorrow.

Go play this weekend. Like it’s your job.