I am a bad mother (sometimes!). My poor-sighted daughter decided to swim on a swim team this summer. She is unable to wear glasses in the pool. People kept suggesting that she use prescription goggles. I kept saying that I would check into them if she wanted to continue swimming into the fall. I assumed the cost would be high (kinda like prescription sunglasses, right?)

Never assume!

On a whim I checked out prices on line (what did we do in the old days?!?) I found out that these special goggles that could help my very blind child not worry about hitting the wall on flip turns only cost about $20!!! Seriously?! No prescription needed. Who knew? Obviously not me!

It's a whole new world at the pool now for my Emma Grace! SHE CAN SEE!! A $20 miracle!

Sometimes the solution is so simple if we take the time and ask the right questions (and anyone who knows me, knows how I ask questions!). I had not asked any of the aforementioned people about the suggested prescription goggles. If only I had, Emma Grace would not have had to squint for the past month!

Internet search: free
Prescription goggles: $19.24
My child recognizing me from across the pool: Priceless!

What are you willing to take a risk for?

How you ever played the board game "Risk"? (Are you seeing a theme developing here?!) My husband John use to play it all the time when we went on vacation with friends to their river house. The two guys could spend HOURS on this game of war and armies fighting armies to gain more control over countries and continents. The winner declares "world domination" and can then gloat about victory until the next time!

Finally on one long, lazy afternoon when we were bored, the women folk decide to play this game we had listened to them argue over for so long. As the next 3 hours unfolded, it became clear that I was going to win. (Imagine that!) I was then told to declare world domination and end the game. I decided to instead declare "world peace"! Apparently the men folk had a problem with this change in the ending! They claimed I could only win with the domination term, not peace!?!

You see the problem here? Why could I only be a winner if I dominated instead of united the countries? Freaky how this board game scenario is often played out in real life conflicts between individuals and countries. We so need to change the rules! It is OK to have peace over domination! Aren't two winners better than one? Think about it!

I have decided that I would rather take a risk for two winners (peace) instead of my own domination over something or someone. How about you?

The Game of "Life", How do you like to play it?

I use to love to play the board game called "Life." You started with a car and a little peg person (pink or blue) and than drove your car around a big board. The spinner was kinda of like the wheel of fortune and let you know where to go next. There were not a lot of career choices (I seemed to always get the teacher job? weird, it didn't pay so well even then!) and you usually got married and had a few kids (more pink or blue pegs to add to your car!) and continued on the journey until you either landed in a mansion or the poor house! Game over!

I got the updated version of Life for Emma Grace excited to share this fun childhood memory with her. John, Emma Grace, and I got out the new game and realized that it was not the same simple game we had played 30 years ago! Just reading the instructions and setting up the game to play was almost too much effort to even continue, but we bravely dove into this new version. The career choices were expanded (I STILL ended up as the teacher!) and you even could change careers in your mid-life crisis period! We continued to have to read and reread the rules as we played. The simple game of our childhood was now VERY complicated! We have only played it once. I miss the old version.

It amazes me how that board game's updated version is like a mirror of our world today. We have really complicated life (real and game!). It is not as easy to get around and they seem to be changing the rules mid-play. WE don't have the choice of putting this real life version on the shelf, but I am beginning to think that we do have the choice of which version we choose to play. Simple or complicated?! I am looking for the old one. Let me know if you can find it, too. I just hope I don't end up in the poor house!