Good evening. Happy Monday, everybody. Hope you got through the weekend. Well, focusing on self-care,

joy, pleasure, and of course, rest. Man, I did a lot of resting. I also went through a very

interesting sci-fi binge over the weekend. You know, I'm a big horror fan. Those that, you know,

listen to the show know that horror, like a lot of documentaries as well. Sci-fi is kind of the, I don't know, kind of the cousin to horror films where it's like

in the family, but yet it's a little distinct overlap at times, but, you know, distinct

categories at the same time. And yeah, I like it because there's this concept called speculative future.

And Octavia Butler, a black queer feminist writer, she does speculative fiction.

And her books really stunning sci-fi were written about imagining a different world,

often a world outside of whiteness. But I like fantasy.

I like daydreaming. A lot of times those are the spaces, those free, creatively processed moments,

thoughts and ideas where we can imagine change, transformation, and the kind of world we want to

live in. I think often we see that as

part of the nature of a child. And adults really socialize themselves and each other out of

this concept of play. And play is actually a very healing, restorative, but also transformative

experience or moment. And I love people, I love having

people in my life that have the capacities to be playful. It's just, it's kind of like smiling.

You know, studies have shown over and over, and I'll at some point maybe talk more about this,

but studies have shown over and over that smiling is good for you in terms of your mood, your mental health. And play is very, very similar. And just kind of do a little

check-in. Am I someone who ever plays? Am I able to be playful? And if not, what's that about?

Often it's about a fear of vulnerability, a fear of intimacy, a fear of letting go, a fear of maybe

releasing whatever your identity is, you know, can I be seen as a competent of letting go, a fear of maybe releasing whatever your identity is.

You know, can I be seen as a competent, you know, parent or professional if I let myself

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