So I had to laugh this past weekend as I was driving in the car with my kidlets. We had an hour drive ahead of us and they decided to play M.A.S.H. Remember that game? You know, the game that tells your future? For those of you that don’t know how to play MASH, I will enlighten you with my description at the end of this post.
Anyway, so my kidlets were playing this over and over and having a blast and making up their futures. They always made sure that their sibling got to marry someone totally bizarre. I heard Chuck Norris, Barney, and Princess Leia as some of the options. Then they loved giving each other crazy jobs like a “nerdy weatherman” or a “pooper-scooper”. They had some serious answers too. Things they really dreamed about. Little Son wants to be an astronaut (and he was very disappointed when he became a pooper scooper instead). Sweet Teen wants to marry a certain type of boy (but she ended up with Chuck Norris), and Baby Girl just hoped drive a minivan someday (she was lucky because she got her dream).
As they played and I drove, I thought about futures. I remembered how I used that play M.A.S.H. and the answers that I always gave. So many things I hoped would come true.
I always wanted to be a mama — I’m living my dream.
I always wanted 5 or 6 kids — I ended up having 3.
I always wanted to visit Hawaii — I still have never been there.
I always wanted to be a writer — I blog now . . . does that count?
I always wanted to marry a good man — I definitely got that.
I always wanted to live near my family and never move — I lived 10 years away from them/moved 9 times.
So I guess, some goals or dreams come true, and some don’t. Unexpected things happen and in the end they often turn out okay. Or maybe we just learn to enjoy it?? Like when I found out I would only be able to have 3 kids, I was heart broken. I found out on the day that Baby Girl was born. I had ALWAYS planned on lots of kids, so it was hard for me to accept at first. But now, I can see how 3 is the perfect number for me and our circumstances. I love having 3 kids! My joy is full and I don’t worry about it anymore.
Later on, Baby Girl asked is she could play M.A.S.H. with me and find out my future. At first I thought, “What would there be to find out? I’m IN my future–I even have the minivan!” Then I realized we could see how old I would live to be, what I will do when my kids leave home, how many grandkids I’ll have, where I’ll retire, and if I’ll EVER go to Hawaii.
So we played, and I set my sights high–I’m living to age 99, I’ll be an inspirational blogger, I’ll have 15 grandkids, and I won’t have to visit Hawaii because I’m going to live there.
There’s so much of FUN left in life. Dream away my friends. The future is bright.
What dreams of yours have come true? What has not? What do you still hope for?
How to play M.A.S.H.
M.A.S.H. stands for “Mansion-Apartment-Shack-House”. These are all what a person may possibly live in someday. The first person is the moderator and with a pen and paper writes M.A.S.H. at the top and then asks the 2nd person some questions about what they want in their future. How many kids? Who will you marry? Where will you live? What will your job be? The 2nd person gets to pick at least 3 options for each category and then the moderator gets to pick the fourth option (because life is unpredictable that way). Then the moderator draws a spiral on the paper and the 2nd person tells them when to stop drawing. How ever many circles were made in that spiral, is the “magic number.” The moderator then goes through each of the options, including the M.A.S.H. option at the top, by counting up to the magic number as she touches each one. Whichever future option is touched when you get to the magic number, it gets crossed off. What ever option is left in each category, well then . . . THAT IS YOUR FUTURE! Ha! Kinda fun. Try playing it with your kids sometime.
