Playing Games

I didn't realize it growing up, but I love to play games.  In my childhood home, we almost never had all the pieces to any game.  Those that we did have all the pieces for, we seldom played.  And, when we did play, it was more for the time together than for the thrill of the game.  I remember that we used to spend hours playing monopoly--just trying to get as much money as we could.  The first round was always the round to just get money.  No one would even think of buying a property.  Not because we were trying to quell the urge, but because we truly had no desire to do such a thing.

Then I played Monopoly for the first time with my husband.  On his first turn, he bought a property.  I was aghast.  I was so shocked that I couldn't help but let out an audible gasp.  He looked up at me, perplexed.

In the last four years of my marriage, I have learned to play games for the thrill and competition of playing them.  It has awakened in me a passion for the activity, but it has equally awakened in me an anger of losing.  It's not that I hate to lose.  Once.  Or maybe twice.  But when I start losing often, I get pretty angry.  I get so angry, that I struggle to have normal conversations.  My face even begins to contort into an evil grimace.... If you saw me, you might think I was just messing around.  But really, inside, I feel like a steaming kettle about to burst.

But, you know that phrase, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"?  Basically it speaks to the idea of keeping yourself from situations that you can't really handle.  I've taken that phrase to heart when it comes to playing games.  I try very hard to keep myself from getting really angry.  And how do I do that?  Simple.  Make sure I don't lose too often.  Ahhhh.... But how do I do THAT?

I pick carefully the games that I am willing to play with my husband.  With other people, I am not necessarily so picky.  But when you are married to an uber-smart person, you must take certain steps to assure yourself of not feeling like a dummy all the time.  This particularly applies when playing games.  So,  these are some things that I consider when choosing games I will play with my husband:

1) The game MUST have some element of chance.  It cannot be entirely strategy-based.
2) Along the lines of number 1, but more specific: It cannot be chess.  I will never play chess with my husband.
3) It cannot be something I know he is already good at, or has already practiced.  I will first play with someone else.
4) I will not play it if I have recently had consecutive losses when playing the game with him.
5) The more luck-based the game, the happier I am when I'm playing it.


There you have it.  My best means for staying away from the temptation of an evil rage.  It doesn't always work, but I think it keeps me generally sane.  I did go to bed angry the other night because he killed me in a game, but, it was really my own fault.  I didn't abide by my own rules; in this case, rule  #3.  But don't worry.  While he's working this weekend, I'll make sure to practice up on my own so next time the playing field is more equal....