Solitaire

I saw a picture and it made me smile.
A little girl was playing with a soccer ball all by herself in her back yard.
She is at home with her mother while her older sister and brother are in school.
From the photos I see, this little girl knows how to entertain herself splendidly.

Just a picture of a little girl and a soccer ball in her back yard.
Her mom wrote, She just likes kicking the ball all over the yard by herself.
Good for her.
This little girl has no trouble coming up with things to do.

That was something my mother used to say to me.
Make sure you like your own company.
Being an only child, that was good advice.
I loved imaginative play.

In our culture of numerous activities for our children, alone time is sorely lacking.
We overbook and fill in every available time slot on the calendar.
We wonder why we are so frazzled.
Kicking a ball alone in the yard does not seem productive enough.

If truth be told, it is the most productive thing a child can do.
Laying on the grass and seeing shapes in the clouds is another productive activity.
Slaying dragons, climbing a mountain that is a dirt pile in the front yard is productive, too.
Anything that allows a child’s imagination to soar is productive.

I thought about the picture of the little girl as I was driving.
I passed a house with a black lab running around in the yard.
The dog was pushing a red ball with his nose and running after it.
I looked past the dog to see if the owner had thrown it to him, but no one was in sight.

The dog was entertaining himself with a red ball in the yard.
The dog’s tail was wagging furiously.
He would push the red ball and then run after it.
No one was in sight, yet he was enjoying the activity.

My oldest daughter pretended that she was Mary Poppins and danced with an umbrella.
My oldest son played football on the lawn pretending he was a player on each team.
He ran one way on the lawn as one team and ran the other way as the opposing team.
My younger son went down the basement to play his drums and played guitar in his room.

My daughter, who is now a teacher, loved setting up the rooms in her dollhouse.
She would spend hours painstakingly setting up furniture and then re-doing that same room.
My youngest daughter loved paper dolls and any kind of art activity.
Each of them had things they enjoyed doing all by themselves.

I remember the days before we got a computer.
That probably dates me a bit but there was such a time in our house.
My older children began their elementary school years writing their homework by hand.
Any paper that needed to be turned in was either written or typed on our electric typewriter.

Once the computer came into our house, a new era began.
With five children, their computer time was strongly monitored.
They only had a small allotted time on the computer each day.
Our computer was in a central location.

We never had video games in our home or any of the newest electronic gadgets.
Those things took precious time away from outdoor play and imaginative play.
The few computer games we did have like Backyard Soccer and Oregon Trail were limited.
One game that was a favorite was Solitaire.

I am not a card player so playing Solitaire is a bit foreign to me.
However, I noticed my children found that playing Solitaire was very relaxing.
It was a game that demanded thought and strategy.
There was satisfaction in its completion.

Crossword puzzles were always a favorite of my son who is now a lawyer.
He enjoyed Sudoku as well, in fact he still loves both and is always determined to finish them.
As much as my children liked to play together, they enjoyed alone time to play and explore.
Group activities are important but how are we doing with fostering solitary activities?

Decide to have an art closet with supplies readily at hand.
Make sure you have lots of books in your home and take frequent trips to the library.
Have Play-doh nearby and let creativity run wild.
Keep bins of Legos nearby so that children can design buildings, space ships, and futuristic cars.

Make sure you like you own company, was wise advice.
We, adults, need to remember that and practice it from time to time.
We need to encourage alone time in our children as well.
Children need time to dream.

I thought about solitary time and realized that we need that time in another area of our life.
We need solitary time with the Lord.
We need solitary time in His Word.
We need solitary time to talk to Him in prayer.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where He prayed. (Mark 1:35)

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. (Luke 4:42)

When we have solitary time with God, we are in good company.
If Jesus felt the need for solitary time with His Father, why are we so afraid of it?
If Jesus could not face the day without talking to His Father in prayer, how can we do any less?
Jesus’ life was full of detours and demands, yet He found solitary time with His Father.

Solitary time is to be encouraged.
Remove some things from the to-do lists and the calendar and just be still.
Fight the urge to keep so busy that there is no time to dream.
Be counter cultural and rest, talking to Your Father in prayer.

I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. (Martin Luther)

Jesus could not have done all He had to do without solitary time with His Father.
Neither can we.
We wonder why we are so stressed and frazzled.
It is time for Solitaire with your Heavenly Father.

2 responses to “Solitaire”

1. As another only child, I can really connect with your post today. I spent a lot of time alone but never had a problem staying “busy”, with reading, pretending, practicing music. I think the creativity God gave me was a wonderful blessing because there was always “something to do”(I didn’t need suggestions!) And as I get older I really value the time I spend with the Lord–so many good Christian writers out there who help us understand the Bible and Biblical principles. Years ago I discovered Catherine Marshall, and to day my favorites are Max Lucado and Philip Yancy.

   Reply

   • Sue,
     There is something about solitude that aids our creativity. However, we both know that creativity in community is a wonderful thing. We need balance so that we have a little of both in our lives. However, we never sacrifice time alone with the Lord. That is the most important thing.
     Gina

     Reply