No, not the kind of games that mess with people’s emotions. I’m talking board games, outdoor games, fun entertainment. Like most kids in my generation I grew up playing outdoors – Freeze Tag, Red Rover, Kick Ball, and Tether Ball were just a few. We rode our bikes and skated for hours. Until the street lights came on, the world was ours.
Rainy days meant board games. Chutes and Ladders, Life, Mousetrap! Each filled with laughter and groans. Groans when that Chute dropped you back to the beginning, laughter when you ended up putting twins in your little car, and thrills when you actually got the mousetrap built and it worked. Who can forget those intense moments of concentration as you tried to remove the funny bone in Operation. I almost always lost at Monopoly, I guess I wasn’t motivated or greedy enough to worry about getting all those properties. I was happy just getting the thimble or the shoe as my playing piece and occasionally landing on free parking.
I think my first game of strategy was checkers. My brain loved it – seeing moves and options three or four ahead. I was quite good at it. My dad pitted me against the reigning champ on the USS Forestall. He was thrilled when I won, my mom was mortified. The sailor I beat took it well. I didn’t realize it back then, but I bet the poor guy took a lot of guff about it. I eventually graduated to Chess but I never could have made a world player in that game. I love Backgammon and was always up for a game of cards.
Some of my best memories involve card games. Anytime Mom’s family got together there was always a game going. I can still picture each and everyone of them at play, laughing and having a good time. My Dad used to let me join in his poker games (when Mom wasn’t there to stop him) and he would take me to Nick’s bar where he would watch while I played. As an adult, Euchre, Hearts, and Spades were staples at get togethers. Dart and pool tournaments kept us busy too.
Most of my life there were horseshoe pits in out back yard. I can hear the clang and the cheers whenever someone scored a leaner or a ringer. I hope heaven includes that sound. Of course, you could often find games of volleyball, badminton, and croquet going on too.
I love a good computer game or two, but nothing will replace all the memories gained from the games of my youth. Take some time to enjoy the simple things – fly a kite, get on that swing and try to reach the sky, jump in a puddle or two, and the next day you’re stuck inside looking for something to do grab a board game or a deck of cards!
