I think I have just found the perfect word game for me. Exploring the App Store at 6 am on a Saturday Genius has presented me with SpellTower, and although I am only 3 games in I am already hooked.
Finding patterns in jumbles of letters has always seemed natural to me. Not quite Charlie Epps like (but with numbers). But certainly as a child Mum’s wordsearch et al puzzle books seemed very entertaining.
This put me in mind of why I have always been so bad at Scrabble. When I say bad I mean I don’t win. I do not score the most points. This is ultimately quite depressing when playing one to one against my two best scrabble buddies. They annihilate me – in terms of points.

It is not that I am not good with words, quite the opposite. I like finding interesting ones, and placing them on the board. It is only in the last few years (after numerous humiliations) that I have learnt to tot up the score of the words I am considering and determine which one will score me more, or block my opponent from putting down a word on the triple score. And I have even managed to win a few games. However the enjoyment is gone for me, and apparently for my most frequent scrabble partner who no longer wants to play. Whether his reluctance is due to me winning a few games or my lack of enjoyment spoiling the game, I am unsure. Maybe it is because he is bored of mostly winning.

I would hope his competitive spirit was not so wounded – however, not having one I couldn’t discuss. You see, with the stark option win or lose, I would rather win but through my own way of doing it. I don’t necessarily want to play by your rules, or the generally accepted way of doing it and when I do, I really don’t enjoy it.

This has been a pattern of sorts – from my earliest days in work I have had new bosses pat me on the back and colleagues look at me askance at my level of enthusiasm and ability to get things done, whilst all the time not actually understanding the rules of the game.
It is only now now in my forties that I have learnt that I do actually  “Do Politics” and really quite well. That by being my own enthusiastic self and not deadening my heart by playing by the accepted political rules I have stood out as someone with an elegant way of doing it. That is now being appreciated. And more importantly I am appreciating it.

I will always be eternally grateful for the close friend who, in a foursome of Scrabble, one night said,
“OK, I think ‘saysally’ should get extra points for good words”