The games people play…
It’s been a bit since my last post (which garnered quite a bit of traffic), but with COVID-19, the worldwide protests over racial injustice, and the closing ceremonies of the school year, there was a lot going on. For the most part, I, like many of you, watched and listened, and readied for what will be a transformative moment in our history. However you lent your voice, your heart, your mind, your support—it was important and will continue to be going forward.
In light of recent events, it always seems this time of year (the end of another school year) brings out the ridiculous in what would otherwise be intelligent and thoughtful young people. Granted, I don’t get many; 98% don’t deal with this kind of nonsense, so really we’re looking at 2% of my total contacts for the year. But that 2%—you just have to wonder how they are going to survive if they don’t learn to take responsibility. Most of the problems stem from 1) their failure to communicate or 2) their failure to show up. Hopefully, they’ll learn along the way. If not, then…let’s just hope they aren’t in change of an organization or a household.
Spring cleaning has brought out another kind of game: purging the game closet. The entire left side of our hall closet is devoted to games and puzzles. Rather than organize it, we just aquired new games and then stacked them in a somewhat reverse Jenga way: build the tower and hopefully it won’t fall. Well, in massive display of materialistic purging, Leslie swept through the house and cleaned out enough clutter and stuff that would have had devout religious officials smiling in approval. When it came to the game closet, she put the kids in charge.
“You guys need to decide what you’re going to keep, and what you’re going to get rid of. Keith, when they’re done, get it out in the garage.”
And seven days later, the kids got right on it. In the process, something interesting happened to all of us. As the kids went through the different games, they all had a story. Some were funny; others were down right sneaky.
Diego: “Dad, remember when you and mom gave us marbles for allowance, and we could turn them in for things?”
Me: pauses with raised eyebrow wondering what years old secret is about to be revealed “Yeees?”
Diego: “Yeah, so I used to take the mancala marbles and add them to my jar!”
And laughter ensued—mine a bit uncomfortable. I had been had by my then seven year old son. We kept that system going for several years. I remember talking to Leslie one evening who remarked: “Ya know, this marble system is the best thing. The kids are doing a great job!” Coming up with an ingenious way to subvert our system certainly wasn’t our intent—but in the end—did it really matter? What did they spend the marbles on? Soft serve ice cream, a special food from the store, maybe a toy or two. Small stuff. I think just the idea that they had a chance to share some memories from things that needed to be let go was the most important piece of the exercise. They worked together, had fun, reminisced, and got the job done. Wow. What parent can’t be pleased with that?
On the creative side, I have some more flowers in bloom and a camping trip to Eagle Lake, so there will be more pics added to my Fine Art America collection in the coming weeks. Also, just finished with James Burton’s final Shadow Hunters/Damage, Inc. crossover so I’ll be reviewing that and sporting some new audio equipment.
Thanks for reading!
Be safe. Be active. Be creative.