Permission to Play: Why Grown Women Should Color Outside the Lines
Who made the rule that grown women can’t play? That glitter is for kids, or that sidewalk chalk should be left to the playground? Mama—tear that rule up. Set it on fire. Dance around it barefoot. Because joy doesn’t age, and your creativity didn’t expire when you turned 40.
You don’t need permission to play—but just in case you forgot: this is it.
There was a Saturday morning not long ago when I found myself sitting on the floor with a box of crayons. No agenda, no expectations. Just me, a coloring book, a mug of chai, and silence. I drew wild suns with lashes, women with purple afros, and flower petals that refused to stay inside the lines.
And you know what? I felt free.
It hit me how long it had been since I did something just because it made me smile. Not to be productive. Not to check a box. Just to delight in being alive. That moment became a sacred little spark that reminded me: Joyful self-expression is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
As women, especially in midlife, we’ve worn so many roles—mother, partner, boss, caretaker, nurturer—that sometimes we forget we’re also dreamers, doodlers, dancers, and divine creators.
Creativity isn’t about being an artist. It’s about being alive. It’s the spice in the soup, the swing in your step, the color in your calendar.
When we allow ourselves to play, we reconnect with the parts of us that are curious, bold, soft, and brave. That version of you—the one who scribbled stars and sang off-key—is still in there. She’s waiting. And she has the audacity to believe you still deserve joy without justification.
Play might look like:
Twirling in your living room in a kaftan with Aretha on the speakers
Finger painting with no concern for the mess
Writing poetry in sidewalk chalk on your patio
Rearranging your books by color instead of subject (because it feels like a rainbow)
Singing your grocery list in your best Whitney voice
Buying a hula hoop. Or a jump rope. Or glitter nail polish.
It’s anything that says, “I’m doing this because it feels good, not because it makes sense.”
Playful + Poetic Exercises:
Color Outside the Lines Session: Grab paper, markers, paint, or crayons. Set a timer for 15 minutes. No rules, no judgment. Just express. Then take a picture of it and call it art, because it is.
Joy Date with Your Inner Child: Schedule one hour this week to do something purely playful—blow bubbles, visit a thrift shop, bake a messy cake, watch your favorite childhood cartoon. Let her lead.
Dance Break Ritual: Choose a “permission to play” song (like Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman”) and dance like nobody’s watching. Unless someone is—then dance even harder.
Creative Affirmation Mirror: Say this while looking at yourself: “My creativity is sacred. My joy is necessary. My play is powerful.”
You’re not too old. You’re not too late. You’re not too anything to be wildly, whimsically you.
Give yourself permission to color outside the lines, wear sequins on a Tuesday, laugh too loud, and write love notes to your soul. That inner child isn’t gone—she’s just been waiting for an invitation. So go ahead and open the door.
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