Tigers and Grits

A friend of mine recently got me back into playing Words With Friends. For those of you who aren't familiar, this is an app you can download on a device or phone to play what basically amounts to Scrabble in real time with your friends who are playing on their own devices. The rules are pretty much the same: spell out words to earn points, some letters count for more points than others, and if you place tiles on certain squares you may receive double or triple points for a specific letter, or sometimes even double or triple the full value of the word.

I'm sorry if you hate Scrabble and are already bored with this post. But what I've been finding as I play is that sometimes the most obvious word, the one that jumps out to you right away, isn't necessarily the one that will help you gain the most points and win the game. If you have the letters TIGERS on your tile rack, the most obvious play would be the word referring to that most majestic of striped wild cats. But depending on how things are placed on the board, you might be able to play GRITS or GRIST instead. Or even REST or RESTING if an 'N' is in play. You can work and rework what you're given until you come to that exact right combination, the one that puts your tile on a triple word score and launches your point count into the stratosphere.

I guess I've been approaching my life so far like a novice Words With Friends player. I see TIGERS, I play TIGERS, and I earn whatever points that word tallies up to.  If the "tiles" I've been given are things like "interacting with loved ones," "getting a chance to travel," "reading and writing stories," "pursuing work or studies that interest me," or even the higher-value ones like "bettering myself as a person," or "bringing glory to God" (the Qs and Zs that may be harder to work into the equation, but mean so much more when you do) - well, I've been sliding them into the most obvious patterns that have appeared to me.

I want to interact regularly with my loved ones? I moved back to North Carolina after college, because that's where my family lives. Pursuing work that interests me? I was fortunate enough to get a job at the local library where I could do things I found challenging, exciting, and worthwhile. Travel is important? I squeeze in trips and vacations around work, maybe once or twice a year. Hobbies and spiritual life and any other tiles I may have on my rack get worked in to that obvious order as well.

But lately I've been wondering if that order is the best order. Don't get me wrong: TIGERS is a perfectly lovely word. (And possibly my favorite animal!) But maybe there's another combination that deserves consideration. Maybe if I keep all those same tiles but shuffle the order around a bit, I might come to a better and more rewarding outcome in the end.

Sorry, tiger. You've had your turn.

It's a gamble, both in the game and in life, but sometimes the only way to find out if something will work is to give it a try. So on Tuesday, just about 45 hours from now, I will be boarding a plane to fly to St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada, to begin work on a Master's Degree in Folklore.

Since it will be difficult to keep in touch with everyone, I'm using this blog as a central hub. Any experiences, insights, or photos from my time in Newfoundland that I'd like to share with people will find their way onto this page. The hope is to provide regular updates; I'm thinking maybe every Sunday night I'll post something, though there may be more posts on some weeks if inspiration strikes. That way any of you who are interested in my adventuring can keep tabs or live vicariously through these entries.

Thank you all for the outpouring of love and support as I make this transition. It means the world to me. Moving that "interacting with loved ones" tile from its place of prominence was one of the most difficult parts of this whole decision, but with the internet hopefully the distance won't seem so far.

Please stay in touch! Most of you reading this probably already have my email, so feel free to get in contact any time. Sometimes I'm bad about responding in a timely manner, but do promise to get back to you eventually. I don't have a mailing address yet, but when I do I will let people know, and if you'd ever be interested in getting fun random postcards from a faraway place feel free to share yours with me.

I have no idea how this grand little experiment will go, but sometimes the best words are the made-up ones, anyway.

Until next time, my friends.

<3