GAMES, GAMES, GAMES!

You may recall me mentioning something about a trip to an Amish general store in my post, VITARRHEA. What I failed to mention is why...?? Living in southeastern Pennsylvania, I am a short drive to lots of places.  One of them is Amish country.  The Amish often get a bad rap from those who criticize everything from their belief system to their simple mode of travel (horse and buggy).  I, however, have come to respect and appreciate their simpler way of life.  The Amish are known for everything from their homemade baked goodies to their incredible woodworking skills.

East of Lancaster and southwest of Reading is a town called Fivepointville. There you will find what is often referred to as the Amish Wal-Mart, though I feel this cute, little bit of everything, store is deserving of a better comparison.  (Can you get hot, fresh, deep-fried, cinnamon-sugar doughnuts while browsing the isles of Wal-mart??)  Weaver's is best known for their huge selection of leather work boots, sporting goods, and hardware, but my family and I head there for the huge selection of board games and other classic toys.

Simple on the outside, but a lot of games on the inside!

I was blown away that a small family-run store would have such a wide selection of classic games to choose from.  Old Maid, Parcheesi, Rook, Canasta, Kismet, Mousetrap, Shoots and Ladders, Apples to Apples, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Risk, Sorry, Life, not to mention new German classics like Settlers of Catan (including all the variations and extender kits) and Powergrid.  We especially love their hand-carved Croquet set, selection of wooden trains and blocks, and their model car sets.  On the rare occasion I stumble into a chain toy store or department store, I am often exhausted by the fact that all the classics (if you can even find them) have been converted into water-downed TV versions like Toy Story 3 Yahtzee and Hannah Montana Monopoly!  I guess that's fine if you are eight, but it doesn't work so well when you are THIRTY-eight!  LOL.

The games go on for the whole isle...

They even have the Amish card game "Dutch Blitz!"

At first I was perplexed as to why the Amish would have a more impressive selection of games than a game store??  But then it hit me, because that's what they do.  They don't play video games or go to the movies. They spend their time working outside and participating in social gatherings that can include games.  What good would it do to stock the board game version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire if your customer base doesn't watch TV!?  I'm guessing most of the Amish have never even heard of the show.

Living close to the Amish has taught me that sometimes we put too high a premium on television and other forms of technology.  Family time has become individual time with most children locked up in their rooms playing video games while the parents cling to their Blackberry.  When is the last time the entire family took a break together and went outside in the yard for a game of Twister?  I may sound old-fashioned in saying so, but I think we have abandoned some of the best things in life in order to waste time on complicated gadgets.

I recently saw a documentary on a group of Amish teens who went to stay with a group of London kids and experience city life.  Having never before ridden the subway, you expected the reactions from the Amish kids to be something along the lines of, "Wow, that was neat, fast, exciting, fun!"  Instead they couldn't get over that seventy-five percent of the riders were wearing earbuds listening to music, books, etc.  "How is it that you can be surrounded by so many people yet be so socially isolated from one another," one girl asked.  "We would never pass by one of our community members without saying hello?!"   I thought that was a really interesting observation.

When the economy gets tough we often need to revert back to simpler decisions.  Not every day can be a night at the U2 concert!  My family and I have elected to battle things out through a good game of Chess and Chinese Checkers.  Besides, it's a lot easier to find yourself stuffing food in your mouth when watching television than when playing Twister!

If you'd like to start a Family Game Night and need some supplies, may I recommend you visit Weaver's in Denver.  And unless you're dieting like me, don't forget the doughnuts!

Rather than end with a quote today, I thought I'd end my post with something that sums up my lessons from the Amish...Life Lessons From The Amish