Lessons from Settlers of Catan


My partner and his daughter love playing games.  So do I, of a certain variety.  Cribbage?  Yes!  Scrabble?  Bring it!  Bananagrams?  Undefeated!  Ping pong?  I’m not very good, but I’ll play!  I just don’t care for board games of strategy such as Monopoly, Risk and Settlers of Catan (no offense, devoted fans).

However, they both indulge my cribbage cravings so I willingly reciprocate by agreeing to play Settlers on occasion.  The last time we played, I was agonizing over my next move.  I didn’t know where to place a new section of road and sat staring at the board, getting more confused and tense by the minute.  I finally said, “This is too stressful!”

My partner smiled and gently replied, “You can’t take it so seriously.”

His words lit a light in my heart that dispelled a whole lot of shadow I didn’t even know I was harboring.   In that moment, I realized that I have a habit of placing a great deal of weight what I do and say, even when I don’t really need to.  I mean, it’s just a board game – which is supposed to be fun!  Was I really weighing a section of road in my hand as if the decision were on a scale with a grand jury vote?

Um, yeah, I kinda was.

So thanks to Settlers and my wise sweetheart, I have my theme for 2012.  As the Indigo Girls sing, “Help me take my life less seriously – it’s only life, after all.”   My wish is that I get really good at discerning what is truly serious while letting the rest be light and fun and joyful.

What’s your theme for 2012?

 

3 Responses to “Lessons from Settlers of Catan”

  1. rompoetry Says:
    January 5th, 2012 at 6:54 am

    My favorite board game is still Clue! We grew up playing chess, dominoes, and all kinds of card games. I don’t have a theme for my year in mind, but I like yours.

  2. newleafcoach Says:
    January 5th, 2012 at 9:12 am

    We play a form of Clue – it’s the Harry Potter version which is set in Hogwarts with HP characters and spells or potions as the weapons!

  3. DeborahMartin (@DeborahMartin) Says:
    January 5th, 2012 at 9:33 am

    I love a good theme. Not sure what mine is for 2012. Working on it. Will know when my next post comes out. Until then let’s just say I’m leaning toward some simple outward focus.

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