Friday, April 24, 2009

Do You Believe in Magic?

Hello Blog Fans

Oh my dear ones...it's been too long...I shouldn't go so long in between posts lest you give up on me, but here I am!! Breathe my pretties, breathe.

My husband loves the game Magic. He started playing the game in high school, was still into it when we met in college and to this day, continues to carry a torch for the game. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's card game with creatures and colours and you have casting costs and land and you get to thrown down and put beasts in the graveyard and explode monkey's at random...maybe not the monkey part...you think after all these year I would know more about it, but I don't. ON PURPOSE! Let me explain...

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone where you have pretended to be "Really Interested" in something that they are interested in EVEN THOUGH you would rather have played in traffic than participate in it, BUT you pretended to like it because you thought it was the "nice" thing to do?(or because you want them to like you more or think you're cool or more pretty...)Or did you ever pretend that a particular habit of theirs didn't bother you at all (even though it did) because you didn't want to appear bitchy or lame? Sigh...I have...especially at the beginning of the relationship. Silly...Silly...Cin...

"Oh yes, I'd love to go watch you play pool in poorly lit sports bar for hours while you ignore me and I have to make small talk with your 'gal pals' that I have absolutely nothing in common with."

"Smoking? No it doesn't bother me at all. You go right ahead...I'm just hanging my head out the car window like the lap dog I am because I like the fact that you smoke! The world is your ashtray you say? Ha! Ha! That's a good one! Aren't you clever??!!"

"Why sure! I really, really enjoy watching you(for hours)look up 'interesting' facts about RUSH, a band that I dig just enough to put in my garden and forget to water, on the Internet that is only text based at this time because it's only 1992. NO!! I don't have a headache at all. The YELLOW lettering on BLACK screen is soothing really!! So...do you like me more yet? How long do I have to keep this crap up???"

So...by the time I got involved with Sean, I had had enough of the shenanigans and the lies and thought "I'm not pretending for anyone anymore. If it bothers you that I don't like something you do and that you are one of these guys who think that couples should share in everything, should have the same interests, should wear matching velour jogging suits as we walk our matching rat dogs on the walking path in the park then I'm going to have to say NO to you." Thankfully he was not one of those guys. And so, because of this charming quality I did not pretend to like Magic the Gathering for him. He would play it a lot with his friends and with his brother. For years I have overheard long discussions about which card should be added to the deck or what colour is best again which colour, should one have a mixed deck while pursuing my own interests and trying my best, but not always being terribly successful, not to mock him. I have never asked to learn, I have no intest in learning, the thought of playing the game bores me tears. So my answer to the question "Why don't you want to learn?" has always been and shall always be "Because I don't want to thank-you" Now, I don't want to come across as a Magic hater here. I'm not. It's just not my thing. I do enjoy the art work on the cards. Some of it is quite beautiful and spectacularly creepy, but I have no desire to learn how to "get more manna" or whatever...

Over the years, Magic had become a distant memory in our home due to Sean having no one to play with. He'd pull out his cards, make a new deck just in case he met someone who'd like to play or study and old deck to see if it was still powerful. Last year, he'd met a few Magic-ers, and they often "threw down" but unfortunately for him, they moved away or got involved in another activity and so he was once again left along with his memories and his decks...until recently. One day out of the blue, our lovely daughter went up to him and sincerely asked "Daddy? Can you teach me how to play Magic?" For Sean I'm sure the Heavens opened and Angels sang!! Finally!! Someone to play Magic with whom he lived with AND wouldn't mock him!

They started slowly; he got Sorcha familiar with how the game worked, who played when and what and why. He taught her what kind of creatures went with what colours and what the different colours meant. He's literally spent hours making her decks she can understand with creatures she finds pretty in colours that she likes. (which is adorable because he's happily catering to her girly side!) In a act of deep love for his daughter, he actually broke apart a deck he'd had together since high school so that she could have some of his best cards. He's is slowly teaching her to play more strategically, is trying to encourage to play her hand aggressively and not worry about whether or not he sends her "Beautiful Fairy" to the graveyard. One day Sorcha ran up to me and "Mummy!! I beat Daddy at Magic! I used (can't remember) casting cost on my Pegasus to turn it into (some level of power) and it did (enter amount here) damage to his (blah dee blah) and put it in his graveyard!" "That's great honey!" I said. And even though I couldn't understand half of what she said, I meant it. I think, truly, that this is lovely. She was glowing with pride and happiness. I don't mock them or even feel the desire too as I think it's wonderful that they have something that is their own and hopefully it will continue for years. They "believe in Magic" and I believe I'm off the hook to learn forever thanks to my "young girl's heart."

Farewell for now, Blog Fans and continue to believe in,

Cin