Late last night playing Skip-Bo on the bed with my wife. I know there are debatably more fun things one could do on a bed with their wife, but hear me out.
Just over twelve and a half years ago my future wife re-entered my life.
Early in our relationship, I visited @minilizziebean in Melbourne and we played this game. I didn’t know anything about it, and the only instructions she had were, of all things, in German. But slowly we garnered what we could from the manual, combined with her memories, and figured out how to play the game. And we had a blast!
It is only now, reflecting on this, that I can see so much of our lives, or anyone’s life in general, can be mirrored in this early experience.
There is no manual for life, but there are clues. There are hints in the lives we observe, be it our parents, siblings, friends, or even the fictional lives that furnish our days. Sometimes in life you think you know what you are doing, but then suddenly everything seems like it’s written in German. Similar to English perhaps, some hints of words you understand, but also a smattering of strange dots and consonants. Sometimes you know there is a structure to things, but it only starts falling together once you get out there and give things a go.
The path that our lives have taken since that day has been anything but simple, and not always in the direction that I would have imagined it going in years before. But I wouldn’t change it for anything, because all the pieces that have fallen into place so far are precious things that have become a part of who I am.
Go back thirteen years and I would never have imagined that a woman as wonderful as my wife would ever see anything in me worth looking twice at. Indeed, the only reason I had the courage to go up and talk to her on the night we met was because I was certain she was so assuredly out of my league that there was no need to be nervous. Rejection was a given, so why not just have a chat?
Flash forward to today and not only have my many character faults failed to drive her away, but we are fast approaching a decade of married bliss, and even managed to raise one pretty damn cool little son in the meantime.
Sure, we have faced challenges together along the way; life isn’t easy. We are facing challenges this very day.
But the point of all this, and the card game session (pictured above) that started this whole post, is that sometimes it’s good just to put aside your concerns, your adult worries, and remember that life is a series of moments. You might not know where it is going, or if you are doing the right thing, but that’s ok. Live in the now, enjoy a simple game with the person you love most. Life is short, but it’s the longest thing you’ll ever do.
So, thanks for playing this game with me @minilizziebean. Thanks for introducing it to me, for playing it with me, and for continuing to make my life the remarkable adventure that it is every day.