At dinner parties, when new acquaintances ask me what I do, I tell them I am known as "Dr. Play" and that my job is to give adults permission to play. So here's your permission and--if anyone objects--tell them to contact me!

While you're at work today I want you to give yourself permission to "take recess" at some point. Now you don't have to leave your office or even get up from your desk to do this. As you're sitting there I want you to close your eyes and take a mini-vacation. Just start envisioning the trip you took earlier this year. See yourself lying on that sandy beach in Hawaii or shopping for clothes in that funky store in Albuquerque. Or maybe you're gliding down a snow-packed hill in Aspen. Just go with the memory and once again enjoy the moment. Or perhaps you haven't had a chance to vacation yet this year. In that case, I want you to imagine a place that you're planning to visit soon. Fantasize what it will be like. Just A few minutes with your eyes closed enjoying a previously lived moment or an anticipated one will do wonders for your psyche. Dr. Play guarantees it!