Tuesday, January 6, 2015
We Canadians are tough people. In this minus 30 weather people are out walking dogs, skating on the ponds, skiing at Moosewoods and Sir Sam's,
snowshoeing, ice fishing, building snow forts, and bird watching. Nothing stops us!!! And there is nothing as satisfying as coming in from an outdoor adventure and hunkering in with a good book, puzzle or game to relax
and really appreciate being warm. Playing games together with family or friends is a great way to connect, have some fun and stay warm in these
cold winter days and evenings. Every year at our annual New Year's Celebration my friends pride themselves on bringing new board game to play
and this year the game of choice was "Pandemic" which is a cooperative board game that was designed in 2008. The game is based on the idea that 4
diseases have broken out in the world and each one threatens to wipe out a region. 2-4 people can play the game. Unlike other games, this is not a
competitive game but rather a cooperative game where the players have to work together to discover all 4 cures before any of several game loosing
conditions are reached. This is a great game to play with teens and adults together. Last year's game was "Suspend" which is a hanging balancing
game that is all about hanging wire bars onto a tabletop stand. Each time a wire bar is added the balance shifts and so it can get tricky. This game
can be played competitively or cooperatively. My friends and I have celebrated New Years Eve for 25 years and so we have played a lot of games
over the years. What I can say after 25 years of playing together is that games are a great way to connect. The kids love the games as much as the
adults. It is a great way to spend time together and there are so many different games that everyone can find something that suits their age level and interest. What I especially appreciate is that all of the technology seems to just disappear during the games and people are just with each other. For all these years our kids have been exposed to these New Year
rituals of games, puzzle, we keep a group journal and we eat good food and so that is what everyone now expects and cherishes. I don't think of any of
us adults could have predicted that 25 years later we would have these beautiful traditions that are so simple and create so much fun and that our kids love just as much as we do. In the end our families and friends are
what are most important to us and there are so many beautiful ways to be together. As parents we want to teach our kids how to be social and engaged
and interested and interesting. There are so many ways of doing that. As a parent I am so grateful to have friends who inspire me in so many different
ways. It takes the entire group to raise these kids!