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?