Los Angeles, California
Last year was a bit of a bummer. Ok, no, last year was on one hand a huge bummer. Both Joel and I had injuries and I lost a friend. Actually, the husband of a friend, but a friend nevertheless. As a result of our injuries, we didn't dance much. But on the other side of the bummer was some really good stuff. While I limped around Santa Fe last September when we traveled there to see A Prairie Home Companion at the wondrous Santa Fe Opera venue, we also, on that trip, discovered... Yahtzee!
We are game players. We play Double Twelve dominos a lot. Lynnette introduced me to A Ticket to Ride, and we have played about six versions of it for several years. Some people I used to know introduced me to a fun card game called Shithead (and yes, I apologize for the vulgarity, but that is what it is called!). On planes, we play gin rummy. We play all of these. But when Joel and I went to Santa Fe, we taught ourselves to play Yahtzee.
Cindy had endeavored to teach me Yahtzee on a trip we took together to Carmel back in the early '90s. It was the only time we ever got high together, before she taught me how to play. She had provided the cannabis and it was strong. Not only did I lose that game, I came away with absolutely no idea of how to play Yahtzee. So, Joel and I started from scratch. And we really got into it.
When Lynnette came to stay after that trip, I asked her if she wanted to play Yahtzee, and she did. So, from September through January, I've been playing Yahtzee with Joel, Lynnette and even one game with Cindy. The one game thing is unique. When Lynnette and I play (Yahtzee, Dominos, Ticket to Ride, etc.) we play a lot of games! Back in the days of our early addiction to playing Ticket to Ride, we had sometimes stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, fueled by the mantra of: Let's play just one more.
We have gotten a lot more temperate on playing past our bedtimes, but we make up for that by starting early. Like, in the afternoon. And after a lot of games one evening, and after throwing the dice when it was her turn, Lynnette uttered the immortal words: When I see a lot of dots, I get excited...!!!
I am third and fourth generation American, via my mother's and father's family's emigration to the US. And I think Americans are crazy. We work too hard. We are hypervigilent about our health and how we eat. We don't value recreation and fun. Broad generalizations, yes. But generally true. At midlife, after a particularly heinous life-changing event, I knew instinctively that I needed to stop striving. I needed to unwind. I needed to embrace joy. Joy came from spending time and laughing with friends. Joy came from enjoying hamburgers. Joy lived in dancing. And, I think I discovered last year, in spite of the bummery part of it, that joy can come from learning a new game, and spending special time with my good friend who gets excited when she sees a lot of dots!
