When you’re stuck at home, you start getting creative. As a four year old, you’re also pretty antsy Today’s task? Figure out how to play games, long distance.
Enter two decks of cards, two computers, and Facetime. My brother is seven hours ahead of us in Europe, also on government mandated “stay at home,” “shelter in place,” or “imposed quarantine” (depending on where you live in the world). What better way to fill everyone’s time than with a few games? Once we came up with alternate rules for War (given they couldn’t collect each other’s cards), they got in the swing of things. Seeing Nathan holding up a card to the camera, squealing with joy or moaning in defeat, was just what I needed. The snapshots from this hour sit with me still. Nathan’s eyes twinking. My brother laughing. Nathan whispering as I shuffled his deck again, “Let me tell you something, give me the good cards. Make sure that I have all the good cards, but this is a secret, so don’t tell Uncle Jono. ‘Kay?” Jonathan’s response, “Dude, hey, Nathan! Are you trying to get your mom to stack your deck?” Nathan’s shriek at getting caught. There are so many times during the day I wish we could “go back to normal.” Today, however, I was incredibly grateful for being forced to slow down. Because I’m certain we would never have discovered Facetime card games were we racing through our typical March lives. Boredom breeds ingenuity.
3 Comments
Trina
3/21/2020 07:14:14 pm
I love this idea! What a great memory for all!
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3/21/2020 07:26:00 pm
What a wonderful moment! I do think that constraints can make us more creative--and forced confinement pushes us to connect in new ways. You've captured this beautifully!
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ADRIENNE GILLESPIE
3/21/2020 07:38:29 pm
How delightful! I am sure your brother also loved this means of keeping the antsy at bay.
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