Shuttlecocks and Belly Laughs: Work, Play, and the Power of Pause 🌿🏸✨

What if the key to a more fulfilling life isn't about squeezing more productivity from every minute but rather making space for unscheduled joy? Join me as I share the surprising lessons I've learned from playing impromptu badminton games with my husband on the narrow green strip between our cottage and the lake.

These spontaneous matches—where he strategically positions me with the wind at my back, sends the birdie soaring into tree branches, and lunges dramatically for returns while I laugh until I cry—have become a treasured ritual. You won't find these games on our calendars or to-do lists. They serve no purpose beyond the moment itself, yet they've become invaluable to our wellbeing.

Through these playful interludes, I've discovered that while I deeply believe in hard work and dedication, success isn't defined solely by hours logged, words written, or money earned. There's diminishing value in working so relentlessly that we're too exhausted to enjoy the rewards. Paradoxically, when we return from these breaks, we find ourselves more energized and connected—not just to each other, but to whatever we're focusing on. We may put the "bad" in badminton with our lack of skill, but as I like to say, the score is always "love-love." I encourage you to find your equivalent of lakeside badminton—that activity that brings you pure, purposeless joy. Your productivity (and your heart) might just thank you for it.

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Chapters

• 0:46 Badminton by the Lake
• 1:23 The Value of Unplanned Play
• 2:53 Finding Balance Through Joy
• 4:23 The Score is Always Love

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:23

Hey there. So I play badminton with my husband on a narrow green strip between our cottage and the lake. He lets me stand with the wind behind my back so that I have the best chance of returning his serve. He loves to whack the birdie high into the tree branches as I crane my neck trying to guess where it will parachute down. As I crane my neck trying to guess where it will parachute down, and if I manage to catch it before it hits the ground, we feel this surge of delight and connection. As it flies back toward him in the blue blue sky. He lunges for even the most impossible returns, rolling to the ground like a Martha Graham dancer as I laugh until I cry. Sometimes I swear I can see the flowers leaning away from his wild swatting, fearing for their purple petals. I smile though, as he pats their delicate heads gently and our cats observe from the windowsill.

Speaker 1: 1:28

We play often, but there's no scheduled time. You won't find our spontaneous shuttle cocking on either of our to-do lists or calendars. Our game is unattached to outcome and well, at least from the outside, doesn't move us any closer to any goals or aspirations. But the added value of this unplanned daily intermission is immense, and it doesn't cost a penny a penny. I believe deeply in hard work, dedication and proactivity. What I'm learning, though, is that, at least for me, success is not defined only by hours, logged, money earned, words written or credits accumulated. Where's the value in working so hard that even our most productive days simply leave us feeling spent and unable to reap the rewards of our hard work?

Speaker 1: 2:40

I am so very fortunate and grateful to love my work, and sometimes I find it difficult to pull myself away, but I'm always glad that I did. Who knows, who knows how much might have gotten done if we hadn't chosen to take the time to play. Well, what I do know is that, when my husband and I return to our work, we feel more energized and connected to each other, to ourselves and to whatever it is we want to focus on. I smile at the joy my husband and I have accumulated playing shuttlecock on the green grass by the lake. We're not very good at it you could even say we put the bad in badminton but I wouldn't trade our shuttle cocking for anything in the world.

Speaker 1: 3:39

We don't play with a net or have any idea how to count points, but if you asked me how to count points. But if you asked me, I'd say the score is always love, love. I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks so much for listening. I cannot encourage you enough to put some play in your life today. So much love and light. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and remember to live in the moment.