Go Play ... Or Else

Tom Petty played in Tampa this weekend.

A sold-out arena. A jumbled mass of people outside the security metal detectors. A bunch of confused faces.

Some fool shouts: "Is this the line for the mani-pedis?"

Get it? Petty ... pedi ... wrong line ...

Yeah, it didn't bowl anyone over there, either. But I laughed, and it made me feel better to shout it.

You know ...

George Bernard Shaw once said: "We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing."

And he cut the fool for 94 long, playful years.

George was born in July, but if he'd been born two months earlier we think he'd be especially pleased that May is PLAY month at Cymplify.

Why? Well, it's one of our seven core values. Play and May rhyme (like Petty and pedi), which is fun. And, this just seems like that time of year.

So, for whatever reason, we try to think a little more playfully about play in May.

Here's our official PLAY core value description ...

We believe life is too important to take too seriously. Slow down. Dance in the rain. Take an unexpected turn. Smile. Laugh. Laugh some more.

We could cite some recent and very compelling psychological studies that reinforce the many benefits of play—for children and adults—, but we won't, except to say that they are out there. Trust us.

Instead, we invite you to join us in a little psychological study of our own.

Don't get nervous. There are no right or wrong answers, really. No judgements or personal prescriptions. No scientific validity or verifiability. Just a little self-analysis to get us thinking about how playfully we view the world.

Ready ...?

Okay. Mark (in your head, I guess) each of the following 20 images as either PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

Okay ...

#1. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#2. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#3. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#4. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#5. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#6. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#7. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#8. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...

#9. PLAY ... NAY ... or IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY ...