USE THE “Y”

You have to realize my hubby grew up an only child.  And his parents were older.  He was driving a tractor and truck, for a neighbor, by age 9.  (Back then people did not wrap children in bubble wrap.  They allowed them to experience all sorts of things that are frowned upon today.)  He did chores.  He went to school.  Yes, he played, but he did not grow up playing games. 

Coming from a family of four kids, I cannot imagine not playing games.  We played Uncle Wiggily and BINGO and Monopoly and Parcheesi and Chinese Checkers.  We played Old Maid and Crazy Eight and Go Fish.  My favorite game is Sorry.  We played Croquet.  Yes, we played games!!! 

Here is the kicker though – I love to play games … but I really do not care if I win.  It is the game that is fun.  Winning is a bonus.

Back to hubby.  Over the years, I have tried to get him to play games.  The answer was, “No.”  The kids tried to get him to play games.  The answer was, “No.”  The grandkids tried to get him to play games.  Even then, the answer was, “No.”  Until …. he finally agreed to try a game called Quiddler. 

If you have not heard of this card game, it begins by dealing three cards and increases each hand until you deal ten.  The cards have letters on them and the goal is to spell words.  We played.  We played again.  We play almost every evening.

Remember, it is the game I enjoy, but I do win this somewhere around 60-70% of the time.  Why?  The main reason is because I know how to play games.  I know strategy.  If he is the one going out, I re-arrange my cards so he doesn’t get extra points.  Not having grown up playing games, he doesn’t think about strategy.  He doesn’t try to stop me from getting extra points.

BUT – we help each other.  Last night he went out and I was playing my words and laying a Y over to the side.  I could not fit it anywhere and would have to deduct those points.  He looked at one of my words and said, “Put the Y on ever.”  Every -- of course.  Why hadn’t I seen that?  There it was plain as day and I missed it. 

Life is often like our Quiddler games: 

• You need a strategy or plan to get through.
• You need someone to help make sure you don’t miss the obvious.
• You need to accept that help.

One of these seems very hard for us to do.  Which one?  Accepting help from others is difficult.  We want to do it ourselves.  We don’t want to be obligated by allowing someone to help us.  We don’t want to admit we need help.

The strategy of this blog is obvious.  USE THE “Y.”  When your plan isn’t quite getting the job done and you are missing the obvious, accept the help of others.