“If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through.” Chinese proverb

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

I was awake this morning by 5:30 AM and was downstairs before 6:30 AM.

Ok, so I went to bed a little after 10 PM last night. It seemed like everyone, including my 2-week-old granddaughter, was ready for bed by then. And I just started playing Candy Crush, so I stayed awake almost an hour going from level 14 to 43.

My understanding of the game doesn’t always justify the outcome.

I am certain I could get along further if I understood some of the rules better. And it may not be the rules but more of the strategy behind a successful level. The game blinks with what seems to be the most logical next play. But I am finding out that if I stay closer to what I need to remove, I can get a better outcome.

Sadly, I do not always recognize what I need to do to succeed.

However, getting up one more time than I fall down, works in this game. Even when I do not complete the level the first time, I still try again. Sometimes it feels like the game will eventually feel “sorry” for me, and will create a swarm of successful moves, which culminate in me winning that level.

While I may be interpreting these actions as “feeling sorry for me”, it could just be an algorithm built into the software.

The game most likely does not have the ability to think and to feel. I am projecting this onto the game. So, I am putting my feelings into how the game is behaving. And then I am using that feeling to navigate the game until I can see a better way to proceed. It is clear that I am still learning the game.

And the only reason I am playing it, is that my 3 ½ year old grandson has started playing Candy Crush on his tablet.

Yes, at 3 ½ he has his own tablet. And he is remarkably effective with it. His strategy is different from mine and generally involves rapid swipes as he gets the game to bend to his will. For him, this works so well that he bounces from level to level. He is not keeping score, but rather enjoying the process.

I on the other hand, am still keeping score.

My goal is to get into the same space my grandson is in. He is in the moment. While he knows where he wants to go, his whole attitude is based on what is going on right now. Projecting right now into the future is not important. For him, what is important is the next swipe, the next move to complete the level.

He is not thinking about falling or getting up.

His focus is entirely on what is the next thing to do. Right now, he is my guru. His outlook is what I want to emulate. The plan he has, or the lack thereof, is where I want to be. I am not jealous, because there are merits to the way I am playing. Yet the simplicity of his approach has a lot to be said for it.

And figuring out how to let go and just “be”, is right now beyond my grasp.

Yes, I am falling. And yes, I am getting up. So far, I have gotten up more times than I have fallen down, and my goal is to continue this process until I am living in the moment. Until then, I will continue my journey into the land of Candy Crush, where I will unlock the secrets of how my grandson progresses to a successful conclusion.

Let the Saga continue!