Yesterday Husband had his last final for the semester.  This means he is now officially through with his 1st year of Grad school.  To celebrate this, his grad school friends planned a shuffleboard tournament.  Have you ever played shuffleboard?  I had not.  So as people explained the rules to me and what to do I stood there with a smile.  I nodded.  I pretended to understand.  Really having no idea what they were talking about.  Lines. Points. 3 points. 4 points. No points. Okay I thought. Let’s just dive in and see what happens.

As it turns out, I am really good at shuffleboard. The first few times I had to shoot the puck were a disaster but then I got into a rhythm.  I still messed up a few times but got better and better with my “dismount.” I think this is kind of true of life. My life especially right now. 

3 years ago I was told Mom has MS.  There was no smile but I nodded.  I didn’t understand the rules. I didn’t understand what that meant. But I was forced to dive in. To see what happens.  In a way I am shuffling through this experience.  Shuffling through life with Mom.  The first few experiences were a disaster in their own ways.  I didn’t communicate correctly. I stressed Mom out. But now I am feeling more like I have a rhythm.  I still shoot my puck off the table sometimes.  And that’s okay.  But my coordination is improving. I am getting a better eye for dealing with certain topics. Certain issues.  Out maneuvering my opponent.  In this case the opponent is MS.  Once in awhile I do something amazing and score a very high score with myself.  With Mom.  Much like I did last night. 

(I scored 11 points on 3 throws and won the game. I also won MVP. WIth this win came a lovely trophy that says MVP and is literally a toilet bowl. Husband is very excited about this addition to our apartment…)

I must remember there will always be new games in life.  New rules. I won’t always understand them but sometimes there isn’t time to understand.  You just have to dive in. Play the game. Try to do the best you can and sometimes you may surprise yourself and be better than you think. 

Do you ever feel like you are shuffleboarding through life?  Have you ever played shuffleboard?  Where do you think the best location is for a toilet bowl MVP trophy?