I was reading an article, Burning the Evidence, by Dominique Browning in Sunday’s New York Times and was inspired by her metaphor of comparing life to a game of Chutes and Ladders. In the article Browning writes:
Life really is like a game of Chutes and Ladders, I thought, taking the long view while nosing around, and burning up my life. You work hard to climb, and you get lucky, too; you’re ambling along when suddenly, wham, you roll wrong, you make a stupid move, and you’re perilously upside down the slide. You’ve got to pick yourself up and start the climb over again. It gets wearying after a while.
That’s the starkest pattern in all of our lives. It takes so long to get the hang of it, the slipping, sliding, and starting over, that by the time we’re old enough to know that the climb is everything, the whole story, the destination doesn’t matter, we’re tired enough to let wisdom in, to move efficiently, thoughtfully, to finally stop and enjoy the view along the way.
There it is – for Dominique Browning life is like a game of Chutes and Ladders. I started thinking about what ‘game’ my life is like. The first one that came to mind was the game Twister. Right hand red. Left foot yellow. Left hand green. Right foot blue. My life is like Twister because it twists and turns and various parts of my life and friends intertwine. Like the game, we cross paths on our way to reaching our various destinations. I live my life like the colorful mat the game is played with so many vibrant interests (writing, coaching, reading, traveling, drumming etc…). At times, I trip over myself, over all the things I have said yes to, and all of my work engagements. But mostly, I am like the game of Twister because it is so full of play, of colors, of falling down and getting up again. In the game Twister, there is no limit on the number of people who can play – so full of possibilities. And, anytime I play, there is always a good amount of laughter.
Thinking back to all the games you played in childhood (or perhaps play now with your children), what game most represents your life? I’d love to hear from you so feel free to leave a comment!
Let’s play!
Mary Anne