i have a fulfilling life,
but it is not exotic.
or super exciting.
not even extra stimulating
and certainly not as educated as i had hoped.
i can also safely say there is a deficiency of fanfare going on over here, too.
but there are plenty of moments i value and hope to always remember.
like tonight.
will loves playing the game of life.
it tends to be a preferred after dinner event for him.
he was quickly assembling the board on the front room rug as soon as he took his last bite.
we all found our way there tonight before any of the dinner mess had been attended to.
it was a typical game,
except i somehow got stuck with the yellow car instead of my preferred white car.
it was also atypical because will decided he would get married this game.
he said he would just marry me.
of course sam was mumbling about how that would never work because then i wouldn't be married to dad.
but mostly it was typical.
sam was the only one who took the long route to college.
i still don't know why he does it because we all end up picking 3 career cards and just choosing the one we want.
i guess it's because he insists on choosing 3 salary cards since he went to college.
he somehow almost always ends up with 90,000 or 100,000.
if he doesn't, he trades salary cards the first chance he gets.
and he is the only one who collects paydays and life tiles.
and he is the only one concerned about following the rules.
he also did his victory dance when he got the police officer,
and he always collects money from the bank if someone spins a 10.
in his usual fashion, will was just interested in spinning the wheel and trying to get to the end.
if he spun a low number he always spins again no matter how loud sam is yelling that it's not fair.
he never cares what space he is on,
unless it involves having children,
and then he protests.
his favorite stop to make is to buy a house.
he always wants to keep picking until he gets the tudor.
he likes it because we all start calling him "scooter the tooter!"
he thinks it's funny.
he also loves to hold the house cards for everyone else to choose.
he tries to stack it for everyone by holding up the card he wants them to pick.
he always holds the beach house card up for me.
sam yells that it's not fair,
so will always holds up the split level card for sam.
sam falls for it almost every time.
and then throws a fit about having to live in the split level.
(i think he actually likes the attention of us teasing him about it.)
he wants to choose again,
but we all say "you get what you get"
and the game goes on.
maggie did her usual.
she hung around watching and occasionally asking when it was her turn and where her car went.
then she fills her car full of people and plays her own game.
until she decides to get everyone a snack.
tonight it was grapes.
she washed them in the bag in the bathtub.
then she carried the bag to the rug, leaking water.
then she got everyone a little bowl and picked grapes off the stem for us.
i did my usual involvement,
wondering what the rules were going to be this time.
i inwardly applaud myself for going with the flow and not forcing them to play how it is "supposed" to be played.
and i watch pete.
he never seems to quite know what is going on
or how the kids ever learned to play this game so loosey goosey.
the kids just tell him what to do,
and he does it.
will always gets to the end first.
he makes certain of that.
no one cares though.
we all know we keep playing until everyone gets there,
and sam would rather be collecting money than parking it.
will is just glad he gets to end up at the mansion because he is certain it has a swimming pool.
once he finishes with his own little game of make believe in retirement,
he is off.
he doesn't stick around.
no one really does except for me and sam.
sam does because he has to count all his money including life tiles to see if he won.
(he always wins. remember, no one else collects money.)
i stay because i like to be the one to clean the game up.
it must be done in an orderly way to make the set up of the next game easy.
the nice part is that if we play on a friday sam always says fridays are massage night.
so he gives us back rubs when the game is over,
with lotion if we want it.
pete wants it every time,
and i pretty much never do.
sam takes it serious,
just like he is a professional.
every time he finds a bone on my back he says
"oh, i found a rough spot. i better loosen this up.",
and he rubs until he says it feels loose.
i think about nights like this even when i'm not living one.
my life may be missing a bit of the glamour i had hoped it would have,
but i have life.
and i can count on its simple pleasures and routines.
it makes me happier in ways that i never knew i needed.
i may one day find myself landing on a space that adds something to what i already have,
but for now this is the game of life i want to be playing.
i like it,
especially when i'm in the white car. :)
