He Guffawed

Going to the lawyer's office was a bit of an intimidating experience. His office was very large and he sat behind a humongous table, which he seemed to dwarf from his equally humongous swivel chair. I sat in a chair too big for me and my feet could not touch the floor. It got a little uncomfortable for me to sit there with feet dangling off the floor. So, I discreetly kicked off my shoes and sat cross-legged on the chair, answering his questions.

You know, normally, I get to ask all the questions. However, I put my clients on a sofa with plush cushions and I give them unsweetened rosemary tea.

My lawyer did a first draft of my document. Then, he called me to discuss. At one point, the lawyer asked, "Why do you close shop during the holidays? Why don't you stay open all year long?"

My eyes opened wide at that shocking question, and I replied, "Huh? If I stay open all year, when will I get to play?"

My lawyer guffawed very loudly. Then, he said, "You're an adult. You don't need to play."

Oh dear... we clearly have very very different world views. Petunia believes in playing. I am at play all the time. I see my work as play. I see my play as play. I always tell my parent coachees to let their children play. I always tell children that if they can do their work faster, they can play more. When my own children were small, I would delete HW and write excuse letters if allocated playtime was jeopardised.

I should be called Petunia Playful Lee.

When The Husband comes home, I MAKE him play. He has an extraordinarily stressful job, and often reaches home tightly coiled from the pressures at work. Did you know that stress can create irregular heart rhythms and bring on cardiac arrest? There must be playfulness in life if only to maintain good health. So, when The Husband comes home, I often DEMAND that he play with me - "Come here and play with me!"

The Husband is very dutiful and responsible. Thus, I had to convince him that it is his duty to play with me. Actually though, I really believe that play protects The Husband's emotional and physical wellbeing. Without the regular playfulness in our marriage, he would find it hard to cope with the extreme stressors of his job.

For me, personally, play time is non-negotiable. The Husband always jokes that I work too little. The hawkers at Chong Pang wonder at the sheer amount of free time I seem to have. It really isn't free time. It is non-negotiable playtime. One can get a lot of playtime and still deliver 40% to 60% A* rate in English PSLE + teach children EQ and leadership, if one is constantly trying to find ways to be efficient. 

Work smart. Don't work hard. 

It also helps to be able to do 3 things at the same time. If you do 3 things at the same time for 3 hrs, you've effectively expanded your time to 9 hrs. The other secret to getting more playtime is to hire intelligent people, who can do what you do better than you.

In this regard, I wholeheartedly embrace traditional French attitudes. In France, 30 years ago, shops close at 5pm. The French need to go home and spend time with their families. Doing what? Play lah! In today's France, it is a big no-no to text employees &/or colleagues after office hours. The HR Dept will come and counsel you for such shocking disrespect for other people's playtime.

Singaporeans work too hard, and work not smart enough. Hence, I stick out like a sore thumb with my insatiable appetite for play.