#306 / Homo Ludens

In connection with installing a new computer, I found that I could easily have my sister Nancy's blog download to my email program, which means that I will now be certain to keep up with what she and her family are doing.

Email is the main way I relate to the world, at least so it sometimes seems. My sister is an artist, and both her images and her insights are truly beautiful. Nonetheless, I have seldom tracked down her blog, since I get distracted by that ever present "inbox." Now that Nancy's postings will be coming to that inbox on a regular basis, I will be much more in touch.

I invite you to click one of the links, to see what I mean about my sister's artistic sensibilities. In addition, Nancy and her husband Rick maintain a beautiful bed and breakfast inn, which also does service as a printmaking studio. It's located in Montmirail, France. It really ought to be thought of as a destination resort. I invite you to check out Maison Conti, too.

The illustration for this posting, by the way, is not from my sister, but from Lina Skantze. It popped up when I typed "Homo Ludens" into my browser, looking for images. Click here, or on the image itself, to find the specific reference on the web.

Thinking about Nancy made me think about "Homo Ludens," which means "playful man," and is specifically the title of an important book by Johan Huizinga. In many ways, while Nancy works incredibly hard at the bed and breakfast, she does build her life around some of the insights that Huizinga has articulated very well in his book. I first read the book as part of the reading I did on "Utopia," as part of my Honors Program in Social Thought and Institutions. It suggests that "carefree playfulness" is what life should be all about.