Even riskier， though， were my high-diving scenes， in which I had to be hoisted about three stories in a harness in front of a “green screen.” Hanging over the set by a few straps made for some scary moments. Of course， the risks of my film work were mitigated by professional stunt coordinators on the set. They took care of the safety nets and rigging so even the scariest parts were fun.
The truth is that taking a moderate physical risk now and then， whether it’s rock climbing， surfing， or snowboarding， can pump you up and make you feel more alive. Children and adults often incorporate risk into their favorite forms of play， even if it‘s just the risk of appearing ridiculous while unleashing your inner eight year old.
PLAY FOR LIFE
Dr. Stuart Brown， a psychiatrist and founder of the National Institute for Play， says that we are hardwired to play and that to neglect our natural playful impulses can be as dangerous as avoiding sleep. Dr. Brown studied Death Row inmates and serial killers and found that nearly all of them had childhoods that lacked normal play patterns. He says the opposite of play is not work， it is depression， so play might well be considered a survival skill.
Risky， rough-and-tumble play helps children and adults develop their social， cognitive， emotional， and physical skills， according to Dr. Brown， who believes we should even try to incorporate work and play rather than just setting aside time for recreation.
I’ve known of men who spent their youths chasing recognition and wealth， only to hit their later years and realize that they had reached the end of a journey that they did not enjoy. Don‘t let that happen to you. Do what you need to do to survive， but do what you love as often as possible too！
It’s scary how you can get so caught up in daily routines and the struggle to make a living that you neglect the quality of your day-to-day life. Balance isn‘t something you achieve “someday.” So don’t forget to have some ridiculous fun by enjoying whatever playful activity so absorbs you that you lose track of time and place.
Studies have shown that being “lost” or totally engaged in your favorite activity， whether it‘s playing Monopoly， painting a landscape， or running a marathon， may just be as close to true happiness as we can get on this earth. I often fall into that sort of “flow” state when I fish， which is my favorite form of relaxing play.
My parents first took me when I was just six years old. My mum gave me a hand line with corn niblets as bait. She threw it into the water， and I held on to the line with my toes. I was a determined tyke. I figured I could outwait the fish. Sooner or later they’d have to take a bite of my corn because I wasn‘t leaving until I hooked a whopper.
My strategy worked. A two-foot fish finally went after my niblet， probably because he was tired of my little shadow hovering over the water. When the monster took my bait and ran with it， he pulled the fishing line through my toes and it hurt like crazy. Rather than let go of the fish， I came up with an ingenious move. I sat on the line， which then burned my bum when the big fish kept pulling on it.
“I’ve got a fish. Oh， my bum hurts. But I‘ve got a fish！” I screamed.
