Adam Blatner

That’s a nice way of saying “just a few screws loose,” which, it turns out, is optimal. A little tiny bit wacko or playful or silly or goofy—the terminology differs with different locales in the multiverse— is what’s needed to be creative and enjoyable to others. Too serious and you’re well, “too”—even though you may think you’re cool, or professional, or dignified, or exhibiting the proper amount of gravitas, which is a good quality in certain circumstances, as long as you can “come off it.” But there are many who forget that there’s any liminal state of mind that one “comes off it” to! And too wacko and you’re definitely annoying if not certifiable. But we are moving into an era where so much is not either-or, and rather that there is a healthy middle ground in which you can explore optimal mental flexibility.

A few screws loose is not, well, up-tight, now is it? So relax a bit, let down your hair, or (since I have little of that once-precious commodity—except out of my nose and ears and chest), let down your guard, and mess around a little, with the right people in the right situations. For those who don’t know how to do that, read my forthcoming 5th edition (I think) of the Art of Play, being extensively rewritten, re-ordered, and generally made great—and aimed at you. Yes, you—no, not the other one standing next to you—YOU! Aha!