What does it cost to save? I was playing an online word game with a friend this morning and was faced with a tray full of vowels and a lone Z. Normally, I'll wait to do something spectacular with a weighty letter such as this. This morning though, I opted to play it quickly. My strategy changed. And I thought I'd share just why.
There is space in the letter tray for seven letters. No more. Just seven. So while I'm waiting to be spectacular, there actually is space in the tray for only six letters. Imagine if I had the Q or the X as well as the Z. I would have cut my potential for change by 42 percent. And change equals opportunity.
Admittedly, the reward for saving and waiting can be significant. Using the game example, imagine aligning a Q or a Z, each worth at least 10 points in the games I most often play, with a Triple Letter Score or Triple Word Score space on the playing board. If the opportunity to apply that bonus in two directions presents itself, the benefit may be 60 points or more.
Here' the balance. How many 5-10-point words are you willing to play to set up the big score? How many plays that might exceed 20 points are you willing to forgo to be spectacular? Because while you're waiting, you're reducing the opportunity for new letters to flow through your tray. And large payoffs can have large costs. Ask anybody who has been left holding a Q at the end of a game.
The repercussions of misplaying a game are slight. I have not been invited to any high stakes word games and I'm not expecting such an invitation. You win a couple, lose a few, and keep on playing. It's a diversion.
When I pull my gaze away from the monitor, though, and look around the room, the principle still applies. I see a lot of items I've clung to for quite a while. Having moved a few times in the past few years, I know their cost in packing and labor. One does not heft a box full of vinyl records, for example, without questioning their value in enjoyment when compared to the effort required to carry them up and down flights of stairs. My home is full of such things. If I were to be asked to drop everything and move to a new place doing the work of my dreams, today I would say no because of the practical requirement to pack, load, ship, receive, unpack, and situate my belongings. My Zs and Qs--and truthfully, my Fs, Ms and Bs--anchor me here. And not in a good way.
What is the purpose of playing? Is it to be spectacular or to win the game? I think it is to win. Let's move a step further away from the computer monitor and cross the threshold of our front door. What does the game look like out here? What are the Zs and Qs in our professions or in our relationships? Do we hold things tightly because they are comfortable rather than valuable? Because they are known, despite their condition?
Recently, I was looking at a book filled with pictures of small living spaces. I've lived through a period when so many people embraced larger homes and I still enjoy looking at beautiful designs of estate homes. The thing that most impressed me about the small home designs, though, was the simplicity of lines, the lack of clutter, and the willingness to live with less. I confess, some of the photos left me unmoved. They were too stark for my taste and I didn't feel as if people were living in those spaces. At least not happy people. But I was curious what it would be like to successfully accommodate my belongings in a dramatically diminished footprint and still have all I need. My wife and I have made a huge step in that direction. Our home today is much smaller than our former home. We've been here a couple of years now and we're still facing the issues of clutter, proportion of items to the spaces they occupy, and getting the best use from the rooms we have. But we've begun.
I don't know where the balance is in this. I don't feel we have the agility to respond to a life-altering opportunity today. That's sad, really. On the other hand, we have quite a few belongings that bring us comfort. Are they Qs and Zs?
I'm tempted at times to empty the tray entirely. What if? What if we had no possessions and no ties to our current jobs? Would we stay here? Would we look for the same type of work? Would we make a difference in other people's lives? Would it be more or less than we do today?
I don't expect an answer to these questions, but I'd sure like to play at least some of the big letters and make room for change. How about you?
