Summer marks a time when many of us have a chance for play – summer break, midsummer sun, beach vacations. If we don’t have a break, we might long for the freedom of our childhoods. It is also a time when many of us are most harried – with kids home from school, and the growing season in full-swing. In this call, we will explore how to lean into play without escapism, to find joy in business and work-life integration, while resisting the pressures of the accelerating and alienating cycles of rush and escape.

As the old adage goes, “money can’t buy happiness.” Of course, money often allows folks to meet their materials needs – which is an important prerequisite for happiness and security. But beyond that, what happens when we reframe our relationship with luxury and decadence by striving for the simple pleasures in life? Maybe rather than shooting for a fancy vacation abroad, the next gadget, we would get more fulfillment and satisfaction from long slow walks, sunny naps, fresh cream, and splashing in the creek. What other creative sources of decadence have we not even considered, and what stands in our way to reclaiming them?

Carnival is a radical break from the norms of everyday life. As David Fleming says it is "the reminder that normal, good behavior is not a habit, but a matter of choice." A chance to get silly, creative and wild together in community breeds a sense of camaraderie, unity, and unlocks ideas and relationships that may not be possible in the normal course of life. It teaches us about ourselves and our greater physical, social, and emotional environment in a new way. How can we make space for more carnival as the summer winds down?