I’ve Still Got It

My family may not appreciate this post, but after this Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath, from Friday sunset until Saturday night), I think I’ve earned the right to write it.

For context, Shabbat in our house means no phones, no computers, no cars and, importantly, no blogs.

We spend a lot of time together. As well as food, synagogue (for some of us), friends, rest, a big part of that is traditional board games.

There are four that regularly feature in our house that I enjoy: Chess, Bananagrams, Rummikub and Backgammon. We take them surprisingly seriously for a day that is supposed to be about rest.

The last 25 hours were not all plain sailing. There were two or three points when I became very “powered down” and rigid and had to lie down for a while. PSP has a habit of reminding me that it is still around.

But despite that, I was pleased by something.

Over Shabbat, I played, I think, nine games: two of each, except three games of Backgammon.

I think I won seven of them.

Now, I should say that I am genuinely happy when my children (or wife) beat me. As a parent, you want your children to do well, and it is nice to see them improve.

But if I am being honest, I am also rather happy when I win.

The point of this post isn’t really the score.

It is that despite the difficult patches, my mental acuity is still there. I can still think strategically, spot opportunities, make decisions and hold my own around the games table.

Seven wins out of nine is not a bad reminder.

At least for now, I’ve still got it.