If you have ever played the game of Pictionary, you know how funny things can get. Everything from the artist’s fast drawings to what people guess based off the drawings…laughs are bound to happen. Then add a person like me. I read lips. So in a game where people are yelling their answers out and feeding thoughts off each other–I am left with my own brain. My very own train of thoughts. Not to boast–but I think I did pretty good the other night. It was a mind stretching game. 🙂 Of course, if you want honesty: My mind is pretty brilliant and complicated. There is no such thing as a simple answer in my vocabulary. Ask my family. Although I did get my brother-in-laws version of “import.” He drew a little sketch of the USA on the left side of the marker board and the Europe/Asia countries on the right side. He drew a dotted line with a boat going towards the right. He crossed it out. Then he drew a straight line with a boat to the left. At first I said out loud, “Ok, it has something to do with a map.” Then I went on: “Boat, Atlantic Ocean, slave trade…” Then it clicked: “Exporting. IMPORTING!!” 🙂 Pretty great train of thought.
On the other hand, we played a lot of “All Play” games. I think we won a record. More than half or three-fourths of the game was because we landed on the AP square or it had the triangle on the category sheet. Made it really fun! Me, my dad and my brother-in-law were on a team vs. my mom and two sisters. Dad was in turn to draw. I was focused. He drew a stick figure of a man. I blurt out: “Man.” He draws a stick figure of a girl the same height as the man. I say: “Couple”, “Spouse.” He draws a stick figure of a little boy next to the woman. I say, “Boy!” Dad looks at me as if I am on to something. Next thing I blurt out: “MALE HEIR!!!!” Thinking I am so cool. Dad looks at me like–“Say it in another phrase!”–sort of look. I say, “Um, child?” Right after that my younger sister says, “Son.” Son!! Me and my “male heir”. Good grief.
So, when it was my turn to draw, my sister would sit by me and look at what I was going to draw. Even with “All Play”, the teams were even so it worked out real nice. Because blurting out answers is one half of the game, then drawing is the other half. With my sister as my ears, I could focus on drawing until she heard the word. Very fair and logical. I don’t even think we discussed the “How should we do this?” She just stepped right in and did it and that is what we ended up doing the whole game when it was my turn to draw.
In the beginning of the game, I really did not want to play. Usually in games there is so much confusion from not being able to hear. This game, I just lived in my own little world and actually really enjoyed the game!! I felt like I was actually part of the game. A very good feeling!! After being a bit grumpy earlier that evening, laughing during the game lightened my heart. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength,” Proverbs 17:22 NLT.
What games do you like to play?