Life Lessons

Ages ago – and I mean ages – and in another life, I was at the local Milton Bradley factory taping a brief clip of the production lines.  It was a segment for a small cable children’s show that I produced and shot with a friend.

When I left, they gave me a shiny new game of LIFE, and not only that, it was their 25^th anniversary edition. My own kids were already grown at that point, so I never opened the game and I set it aside. It was the early days of Ebay, so who knew? This could be worth something in a few years!!

Yeah, right. Milton Bradley has long since left the area and I decided my chances of buying a private island based on the proceeds of selling my collector’s game had long since evaporated.

So the other day, My Guy and I sliced the box’s cellophane. First, in spite of memories of playing the game in our youth, was a read-through of the directions. Directions talking about promissory notes, stock certificates, and fire insurance. We probably wouldn’t be trotting this out the next time our eight-year-old twin granddaughters came for a visit.

It is kind of cool having the special edition. The spinning wheel, buildings, and bridges are all in silver instead of the usual pedestrian green of ordinary games. We had a pleasant afternoon, even if the spin of  the wheel determined that just like in real life, I was again a teacher, and that My Guy’ profession still meant he earned more than I did.