Okay.
Let’s face it:
Everyone has something in their life that could be deemed slightly or very much obsessive.
It’s not surprising that the game of Maj Jong became my preoccupation during the long days of social distancing we are enduring due to Covid. The game is entwined into the very roots of my nature.
When I was a little girl living in a two-bedroom apartment with my mom and dad and brother, every Monday night I fell asleep to the snappy cadence of Maj tiles hitting the top of the card table my mom had set up for herself and her weekly Maj group in the living room. M & M’s filled the silver candy dish, cigarette smoke wafted down the short hall to my room and the tinkling of ice cubes submerged in Coca-Cola lulled me to dreamland.
Maj Jong is a Chinese betting game of skill and luck played by four people with domino-like tiles. Each year a new Maj card is issued giving a template for which hands can be played that particular year.
Maj Jong affords great social interaction because tiles are discarded face-up so tiles previously thrown do not have to be remembered. Thus, conversation among the players can flow effortlessly.
Whew.
This allows much leeway in the depth of dialogue on subjects such as births, marriages, deaths and divorce – subjects that can be covered with as little or as much analytical clarity as the four players deem necessary to advance the story. And the game.
When I moved to Tampa in 2006, my life on many fronts was in transition. Growing up hearing murmurs of intimate conversation intermixed with gales of laughter from my mom and her girlfriends at their weekly Maj Jong game propelled me to form my own Maj group. And I did.
For over a decade, we played together. For me, my weekly Maj Jong game became a grounding social event representing routine and normalcy. A throwback to my childhood. And a reassurance that I was making lasting friendships in a new city.
Our group is no longer together. And up until recently, I haven’t played Maj in many months.
But with Covid constraints looming large, I longed for a reprieve from worry and restlessness and frustration. I discovered www.realmaj.com – a site you pay for – a site where you can play a game of Maj at any time of the day or night – with live people or against robots. (I prefer the robots.)
I don’t think my mom would be pleased that I am playing Maj by myself – with the computer for company.
On the other hand – because with Maj Jong, there is always another “hand” – computer Maj has its advantages….
It relaxes me.
It distracts me.
It – unlike much in life – has a clear start and a clear finish and a sure winner and a sure loser
It’s portable with no risk of transmitting Covid.
And it exercises my brain: the mixture of random tiles presented to me stimulates my brain to make the best combination possible to align with a hand featured on the Maj card.
Exercising our brains obsessively is one of the best obsessions we can have. And maybe one of these days it will also go back to being a great way to socialize face-to-face too.
I hope so.
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor.