Play.

The snow is still falling outside my window. It hasn’t stopped since yesterday afternoon, and it shows no sign of relenting.

The office was only sparsely populated today. Most people worked from home, wisely not trusting the slippery and treacherous roads. Not me — I walked into work with a smile on my face because despite my frozen toes and nose, I love the snow.

And then, I made snow angels.

Late in the afternoon, a chat with some of my colleagues who had made the trek into the office turned into a decision to have a snowball fight. None of us were dressed appropriately, but the courtyard was serene and untouched, and seemed to beckoning us to come play.

Play, we did. I ventured out first, breaking through the foot or so of snow by making a snow angel. Actually, three snow angels. My friends joined me minutes later, and the courtyard turned into a playful war zone, snow flying everywhere.

Sometimes, we’re reticent to let ourselves go and be silly at work. We’re taught to treat our workplaces like strict, serene, palaces of professionalism. We’re taught to separate work and play.

I’ve learned over the past ten years that the separation between work and play is a silly one. When your work is fun, when you love the people you work with and feel interested and invigorated in what you do, work starts to feel like play. When you go to the office every morning and can’t wait to face your new challenge, work becomes a place of exploration, invention, and accomplishment.

And from time to time, it becomes a place where you and your coworkers make angels in the snow.