Games

To Scare or Not to Scare…

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Why do we try to scare each other and ourselves? As FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.” So why try to create more fear and chance traumatizing ourselves?

When I was young, my friends and I used to play Ghosts in the Graveyard. It was played at night, in the dark, out in the yard. One player would hide, while the rest of us creeped around the yard looking for that player. Once the person hiding was found, they would chase after all of us as we ran back to the safety of home base. This game was thrilling in the sense that it was fun, but scary as hell! I didn’t like to be the one to hide, because then I’d just be sitting in the dark listening to all of the sounds that go bump in the night. “What was that?” I’d wonder, as my imagination spiraled. Was that a person? An animal? Just the wind in the leaves? Big foot??

At slumber parties there were always the late night rituals of telling ghost stories and playing games like Bloody Mary and Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board. Some friends even pulled out the Ouija Board. We would conjure up these sensations of spirits, and not necessarily friendly ones, like Casper. There was always one girl who ended up crying, who I was grateful for, because that signaled the end of freaking each other out.

I never understood the desire to watch horror movies. My sister and her friend would watch all the Freddy and Jason movies, but I steered clear. I had to draw the line somewhere. Vision can be a curse; things seen can’t be unseen.

Halloween is what you make it, I suppose. I was always in it for the candy, and my costumes were more Wonder Woman and less Wicked Witch. But even though I was out for the treats, I was taking my chances with the tricks. It’s the not knowing that creeps me out the most. What’s around that corner? What’s making that noise? Who’s really behind that mask?

As spooked as I got, I still participated, and I’m trying to understand why. Adults threatened us with the Boogeyman if we weren’t acting right, but it’s not like they encouraged us to scare the shit out of each other. We did that all on our own volition! Maybe it’s all about self-defense and we were just gearing up to be able to conquer our inevitable fears. Maybe we did it to remind ourselves that we really were safe, and that what we conjured up in our imaginations was just that: imaginary. And maybe we practiced being brave for those times in life when we would face the real scary stuff…like hormones.

Telephone

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I took looking backwards to the next level this past week by ordering landline service for my home. My daughter is so excited about it. She says, “I feel like an 80’s baby!” This is funny because, although she is referring to the 1980s, it was the 1880s when the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T!) Company was founded by Mr. Bell. She has me calling the house from my cell phone just so she can have make-believe conversations with me.

I purchased a corded phone because it was cheapest, but also so we always know where it is. She asked how long the cord was on my childhood phone, about which I joked, “Not long enough.” Actually, it was long enough to walk from the hallway into the bathroom to sit behind the closed door and talk in private. Of course privacy doesn’t exist if someone quietly lifts up the receiver downstairs and listens in on the conversation!

All this phone talk got me thinking about the game Telephone that we used to play. One person would come up with some silly phrase, like “Purple polka-dotted elephants dance in roller skates,” and whisper it to the next person, who passes it on down the telephone line, until the last person says the message out-loud for everyone to hear. Of course the message is never the same as it started, but it’s something equally ridiculous that makes everyone giggle and roll around on the floor.

At the time, it didn’t occur to me that the game was actually a great example of how rumors begin and spiral. Hopefully we can all catch on to that lesson, quit the gossip, and spread simple, true, and positive messages from now on. Let’s try this: Enjoy Being. Pass it on!

Winter Retreat

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Back in middle and high school, my church youth group took an annual trip to Camp Squanto in New Hampshire for a Winter Retreat. The recent weather impacts across the country have me thinking an awful lot about that trip. You see, growing up in the Northeast, we expect bad winter weather so much, that it’s never really bad, because we’re prepared. We can appreciate and enjoy the beauty of snow because, for one thing, when it arrives, it sticks around for awhile. Secondly, we know how to manage it efficiently, leaving time for play. So regardless of the weather, we’d still make the trip further north to camp, where we’d retreat from the stress of school, and play with our friends in the seclusion and serenity of a Winter Wonderland.

In the north there were 10’ snow banks on which we were kings. Sledding hills were covered in enough snow to ensure a smooth ride and cushion at the bottom. We would build snow forts, dig tunnel mazes, and have massive snowball fights. We could snow shoe and cross-country ski our way to the store. And the ice actually froze thick enough that we could fish, skate, or play hockey without worrying (too much!) about falling through.

Snow much fun!

One of my favorites memories of the Winter Retreat was playing Broom Hockey. We’d sweep off the outline of a large square on the surface of the lake. Everyone had a broom, and there was one ball. The game was won when one of the teams swept the ball all the way around the square one time. Sounds easy enough until you consider that everyone is slipping in their winter boots, and the other team is trying to steal the ball and move it in the opposite direction around the square. The games would go on late into the night. Then we’d tiptoe into the Dining Hall and warm up with hot cocoa before collapsing into bed.

I have so many sweet memories of the beauty and fun of my childhood winters, that living in the south in the winter leaves me feeling rather rueful. The winters down here are cold with little to no snow. Lately we’ve had rain, freezing rain, ice, and more rain; not much to enjoy about that. Ironically, when most people move south to retreat from winter, I’d rather retreat to winter!