There’s a pool table, which is pretty cool, and almost
everyone’s first choice of activity. Faisal and I have no clue how to play and
are not very good either. We have no idea what the rules of pool are, so our
game involves trying to sink as many balls as possible with the winner being
the one who sinks the most (except when someone is close by, when we stop and
pretend to examine the play, and make a show of thinking about our next move, when
really we’re just hoping they’ll go away and save us the embarrassment of
seeing how terrible we are).
There is also a foosball kit, which Faisal and I only play
when there is no one else around because of the amount of shouting that almost always
ensues whilst playing. Both of us are very competitive, and I’m surprised I haven't sprained my ankle yet,
given how much I jump around. Both pool and foosball run the real risk of
Faisal and I getting physically violent with each other, so we tend to limit our
play with those (on a side not, cue sticks make very good weapons).
And then there are the less violent options, like cards,
board games (which may sound childish, but trust me, when there’s a good game
of Scrabble or Battleship, there’s
no such thing as too old), and video
games, movies, musical instruments and books and magazines.
And then I came across a 250 piece Where’s
Wally puzzle, which I immediately picked up and insisted with Faisal we finish.
He was hesitant at first, clearly in the mood to play pool (I imagine I had
done something wrong and he simply wanted the opportunity to covertly attack me
with the cue stick), but I managed to convince him, and we set out on the task
of finishing the puzzle before we left for home.
We had completed the edges of the puzzle when my nurse
called me in for my appointment, and of course Sod’s Law would have it that the
one day my appointment was on time, was the one day I wanted it to be late. Nevertheless,
we hurriedly completed the appointment and came back to the puzzle, and for the
next two hours, I refused to leave its side. Come lunch-time, Faisal tried to
convince me it was safe to leave the puzzle to go get some lunch, but hunching
over and hugging the table, I fervently refused, frantically
searching the room for potential saboteurs (clearly I hadn't learnt from my Lebanese restaurant vomitting fiasco). An exasperated Faisal gave up and set out to finish
the puzzle with me as quickly as possible (I imagine he was worried his wife
was going crazy), and just as my nurse came to tell me my medicines were ready,
Faisal placed the last piece of the puzzle in place. There was one piece
missing, of course there was, but we both sat back and marvelled at our
creation, smiling with satisfaction at what had turned out to be a very
productive day.
Lesson of the Day:
- You're never too old for games or puzzles! So enjoy them!
- Once you start something, don't give up at the first sign of an obstacle. Carry on, especially if it's something you're passionate about. The satisfaction one feels after completing a task, especially a hard task (like completing a puzzle, obviously), is amazing, and well worth it in the end.
Lesson of the Day:
- You're never too old for games or puzzles! So enjoy them!
- Once you start something, don't give up at the first sign of an obstacle. Carry on, especially if it's something you're passionate about. The satisfaction one feels after completing a task, especially a hard task (like completing a puzzle, obviously), is amazing, and well worth it in the end.
