Scrabble philosophy.
I lodge with friends who are a married couple. Recently they've got in to Scrabble in a big way. Mrs was getting increasingly frustrated that she had the makings of a brilliant word but nowhere on the board to place the letters. Mr then came out with this golden Scrabble rule for life:
"You have to play the board, and not your dreams"
Maybe you have got 7 of the letters for xylophone and maybe there are 2 triple word scores available but if there isn't an appropriately placed 'H', you have to suck it up and work with what you've got. Luckily, you can get better at making the most of the board and the letters that you have. But if you keep on mourning that non-existent 'H' by the triple word score, you'll never be satisfied.
I've overheard a few, quite common, appeals to the Board:
Dream says: I want to be a princess
Board says: You are descended from lowly farmers and you've got about as much chance of hooking Harry as you have of pulling zygote out of the bag across that triple letter score.
Dream says: Happily ever after?
Board says: Alright, you can have a team-mate. Two brains will do better than one but don't think I'm making it any easier for you.
Dream says: I want to travel the world forever
Board says: Your overdraft is laughable, you are a credit lender's dream, you've got a bit of a distant niggle about your biological clock and your friends all have fabulous careers taking off and are buying houses. But you could get a respectable score of 30 with 'employment' over a double letter, and you'd still have your H and other Y to save for an amazing 'holiday', with any luck on a triple letter.
Dream says: Lottery win?
Board says: Ha!
Really good Scrabble players always do pretty well, even with pants letters and a sarcastic Board. They practise, they probably read a lot, they're often older and wiser than you.
Dreams are important, but without a good healthy dose of reality, you'll be left crying in to your Scrabble tiles and mess up your whole game.
For those who don't know, I work for a mental health charity. Sometimes, it's an absolute pleasure talking to service users. Some of them have had a really tough time - multiple bereavements, redundancy, relationship breakdowns, physical disability - and they are so grateful for the little support they get, and sound genuinely happy. They've already gone through all the kinds of things we worry about happening, or forget could ever happen to us because we're worrying about which route our already very comfortable lives should take, or body image, or new car vs holiday, or WHY HASN'T HE CALLED*?! These are people who've got through the scenarios our nightmares haven't even imagined and they are happy just because they are OK and their loved ones are OK, and they've got somewhere to go and be with people twice a week. That's what I call making the best of the board.
Having been inspired by the simple things, I'd like to take this opportunity to say, just LOOK at my desk orchid!
It was bud-less before. Now it's bursting with green shoots of loveliness with little buds all ready to explode in to smiley white stars.
Anyway.
In other work moments that bring you down to earth, my colleague observed a great one at a campaigning event, only today, promoting the 'Five Ways to Wellbeing'**. We have a branded minibus for the occasion, smart new postcards, publications, branded balloons, interactive activities... and an extra today was some baked goods courtesy of a cooking group.
There we all were in Abingdon Market Place with Oxford United, the Mayor, journos, photographer etc, in my colleague's words "trying to look like a slick, media savvy organisation" schmoozing away with our glossy new campaign materials, when a loud voice pops up:
"HAS ANYONE SEEN THE KNIFE FOR THE LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE?"
Oh.
Cake anyone?
*This is an abstract question for entertainment purposes only. If you haven't called, I haven't even noticed.
**Are you interested? I can expand if you're interested.
I lodge with friends who are a married couple. Recently they've got in to Scrabble in a big way. Mrs was getting increasingly frustrated that she had the makings of a brilliant word but nowhere on the board to place the letters. Mr then came out with this golden Scrabble rule for life:
"You have to play the board, and not your dreams"
Maybe you have got 7 of the letters for xylophone and maybe there are 2 triple word scores available but if there isn't an appropriately placed 'H', you have to suck it up and work with what you've got. Luckily, you can get better at making the most of the board and the letters that you have. But if you keep on mourning that non-existent 'H' by the triple word score, you'll never be satisfied.
I've overheard a few, quite common, appeals to the Board:
Dream says: I want to be a princess
Board says: You are descended from lowly farmers and you've got about as much chance of hooking Harry as you have of pulling zygote out of the bag across that triple letter score.
Dream says: Happily ever after?
Board says: Alright, you can have a team-mate. Two brains will do better than one but don't think I'm making it any easier for you.
Dream says: I want to travel the world forever
Board says: Your overdraft is laughable, you are a credit lender's dream, you've got a bit of a distant niggle about your biological clock and your friends all have fabulous careers taking off and are buying houses. But you could get a respectable score of 30 with 'employment' over a double letter, and you'd still have your H and other Y to save for an amazing 'holiday', with any luck on a triple letter.
Dream says: Lottery win?
Board says: Ha!
Really good Scrabble players always do pretty well, even with pants letters and a sarcastic Board. They practise, they probably read a lot, they're often older and wiser than you.
Dreams are important, but without a good healthy dose of reality, you'll be left crying in to your Scrabble tiles and mess up your whole game.
For those who don't know, I work for a mental health charity. Sometimes, it's an absolute pleasure talking to service users. Some of them have had a really tough time - multiple bereavements, redundancy, relationship breakdowns, physical disability - and they are so grateful for the little support they get, and sound genuinely happy. They've already gone through all the kinds of things we worry about happening, or forget could ever happen to us because we're worrying about which route our already very comfortable lives should take, or body image, or new car vs holiday, or WHY HASN'T HE CALLED*?! These are people who've got through the scenarios our nightmares haven't even imagined and they are happy just because they are OK and their loved ones are OK, and they've got somewhere to go and be with people twice a week. That's what I call making the best of the board.
Having been inspired by the simple things, I'd like to take this opportunity to say, just LOOK at my desk orchid!
It was bud-less before. Now it's bursting with green shoots of loveliness with little buds all ready to explode in to smiley white stars.
Anyway.
In other work moments that bring you down to earth, my colleague observed a great one at a campaigning event, only today, promoting the 'Five Ways to Wellbeing'**. We have a branded minibus for the occasion, smart new postcards, publications, branded balloons, interactive activities... and an extra today was some baked goods courtesy of a cooking group.
There we all were in Abingdon Market Place with Oxford United, the Mayor, journos, photographer etc, in my colleague's words "trying to look like a slick, media savvy organisation" schmoozing away with our glossy new campaign materials, when a loud voice pops up:
"HAS ANYONE SEEN THE KNIFE FOR THE LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE?"
Oh.
Cake anyone?
*This is an abstract question for entertainment purposes only. If you haven't called, I haven't even noticed.
**Are you interested? I can expand if you're interested.
