One of my favorite memories comes from my parents playing canasta with their friends Sybil and Leon. I loved the sound of their almost continual laughter as they played. My parents lived with stressors of medical bills and my mother’s health difficulties that brought about those bills, as well as health issues I had. I recall as an adult asking my brother what life had been like when I was so ill. With no rancor he said “I just remember we never had any money.” But when my parents were with their friends playing cards they seemed totally stress free, which research has shown as one of the benefits.
This holiday season I keep seeing advertisements for Ousi and for Ransom Notes. Curious, I googled them both. One reviewer wrote:
“OuiSi (a pun on We See as well as two words meaning Yes) is a set of 210 photos that are close-ups of details of things you might find in a city, like a key, part of a guitar, a coin in the mud, a fork, a box of colored pencils, a bunch of green onions, a doorknob, etc. They are much more beautiful than this description might lead you to believe.
“In addition to this basic set, there are two other sets you can get, one with similar close-up photos of things from nature, like flowers, leaves, trees, water, bug faces, animal faces, etc. and one with similar close-up photos of parts of artworks from the Getty Art Museum.
“Each set has a rule book with several “games” you can play with the cards. Most of them are more like activities than actual games, though there are two competitive games with rules a bit like Dixit. Despite that, the activities are enjoyable and worthwhile, if you don’t expect something with formal rules.”
. One of the benefits touted is that even preschoolers are able to participate. Another is that Ousi is very useful with folks who are living with dementia. Ransom Notes likely doesn’t have those benefits but sounds like a lot of fun. With whatever words you have in your possession, you must write a ransom note. However it is described as easy to learn in less than a minute. A review on Amazon offers this analysis:
“ While the game is made for 3-6 players, it’s equally hilarious when larger groups team up together, 30-90 min play time. Is it appropriate for everyone? Not really. While a majority of prompt cards are certainly suitable for all audiences, there are quite a few that are definitely not. BUT, if you do want to make it family friendly, pulling about 15-30% of the cards should make the game totally PG and playable for all!”
An article from the BBC decries that as adults we tend to give up games and quotes René Proyer, professor of psychology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Professor Proyer encourages playfulness, describing it as a skill that can be developed, harnessed and used for mindfulness. Playing games is one way to develop that but she has a very basic suggestion:
“A good place to start is by simply observing moments at the end of every day where something spontaneous happened. It could be a funny interaction with a stranger while getting your coffee or a joke shared with your colleague. This will help you to begin to feel confident in being playful and make you more aware of joy in your everyday life.” (Why Playing Games is Good for You, February 3, 2022, BBC).
Let the games begin! 😊
The invitation is open to share “two cups of tea” anytime at Hope’s Café, or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.
May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter. Shalom, Kate
Hope's Cafe 
Another good serving from Hope’s Cafe, Kate! Your writing this week resonates with 20th century book entitled Homo Ludens (Playful Man) by Johan Huizinga in which he wrote “people are only completely human when at play.” Not sure if his claim in that regard is completely reasonable, but his book ceertainy emphasizes your point about the importance of play in our lives. After all, it is hard to take yourself too seriously when in the midst of play.
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