GET YOUR GAME ON!
Mah Jongg tiles. Like cards, they come in suits: bams, craks, dots, winds and dragons.
When I moved to Florida almost two years ago, I didn’t know anyone in this “55 or better” community. In fact, the street I live on was only half built at the time with much land still vacant. I knew I’d have to figure out how to meet some people. Yes, I’m a writer, and I can lose myself for hours while writing a blog or a novel, but at heart, I’m not a hermit. As much as I enjoy visiting with my fictional characters, I’d prefer visiting with real characters...uh..people 🙂 I like socializing. I would be miserable alone at the computer twenty-four/seven.
Mike and I have made many close friends from the time we began our lives together. Some of our friends are from our teenage years in New York. We became “family” with friends from our young parenting days in Massachusetts, and in Texas added several more friends in this category. These close friends were years in the making. These friends are the kind who anticipate what you need and what’s in your heart before your thoughts become words.
I had no expectations of making friends like these here in the day camp. A book discussion group would do. A card game would be great. As for Mah Jongg–or Mahj, as we call it–that would be even better. I’m talking about in-person Mahj, not via computer. All I wanted was to share some down time with some nice people.
I went to a book discussion and enjoyed it. At the end of the hour, I asked about Mah Jongg. By chance, two women needed another player for their game and invited me to sit in the next night. I met the other two players, and the evening turned out well. Now, we were five. I was a permanent member of this Wednesday night group. Then came a Monday afternoon group with some of the same women. Folks, I was in hog heaven. I loved this game. My life was in balance. My writing hours would be broken up with some real people face time – as well as with my visits to the gym. Just perfect.
A friendly game of Mahj. I’m in the green top.
Do you know what happens when you spend several hours a week with the same lovely women picking and discarding tiles, trying to put the dots, cracks and bams in the right order to call Mah Jongg? Know what happens when you spend time chatting with each other in between games? Sharing a piece of history here and there. About children. About husbands. About life in Atlanta or Boston or New York. About former careers. About childhood experiences. About parents long gone or still here. Of course you know what happens.
It took me almost a year to figure out that friendships can form at any time. A game of Mah Jongg evolves into a shopping trip or a dinner with husbands or a girls’ night out. Friendship is about heart and soul. Not age. It’s about being human.
Do you play in a regular game of Canasta, Bridge, Mah Jongg, chess or anything else which became more than “just a game?” Or do you participate in a weekly craft activity like a knitting or quilting circle? Tell us about it.
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As always, thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over.
P.S. My friends in the day camp are insisting on reading and discussing FAMILY INTERRUPTED as part of the book club. I’ll let you know how it goes — scheduled for the fall.
Best always,
Linda
Sometimes i think Mah Jongg is a metaphor for my life. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win. Sometimes I meet a lot of jokers, sometimes the money comes my way. Sometimes I make good moves and sometimes I make mistakes. But always I meet and make friends!
Love the joker observation, Diane:) And I agree about the metaphor, too. My life with the game has been turned around. In other communities, I made friends first. This time, the game came first and with it, such lovely friends. Thanks for writing.
Linda,
What fun to read your Blog today and be able to feel such a kinship with all that you have written. Mahj is definitely a friend building game. We are so glad to have you in our new game!
Thanks, Penni. As you can see, I’m very happy to be part of it, too. With the advent of the game on the computer, I often wonder at the number of folks who now are familiar with it. Maybe Mah-Jongg will become another bagel. Everyone in the country knows what it is 🙂
How wonderful for you to have met a lovely group of women and enjoy this time together. That is never happened with me. I worked, went to school, had the kids and then worked again so there was no time for that fun. Perhaps it is time now.