Aunty has a confession to make. About a month ago, under a fake name (Honolulu Sally), Aunty began to play a very fun game on Facebook (is also a free app) called Candy Crush Saga. It is something like Bejeweled Blitz, clearing rows or columns with matching jewels or candies, although Bejeweled Blitz was actually more fun because each week you were privy to a scoreboard against your friends, each game only lasted a minute, and you could play until the rooster crowed or the cows came home (unlimited).
These games are addicting, and Aunty was an easy target.
Aunty is a compulsively addictive challenged individual who thrives and loves competition, so online games and Aunty are a bad combination.
Over 3 years ago, Aunty made a pact with God and totally gave up playing Bejeweled Blitz (it was for a very very important prayer and person), and over the past couple of years, Aunty has made other pacts with God to give up a couple of other online games that consumed Aunty’s time and focus. Each time a pact was made, Aunty totally abandoned the specific game, because when you make a pact, you must honor it, and a pact with God is one that is of the highest priority and responsibility.
So, when Aunty “discovered” Candy Crush Saga 4 weeks ago, it was on a part time basis, playing it sometimes, and stopping after the 5 lives are used up (it gets fully reloaded after a few hours). At first it seemed too easy and simple, and then clearing coconuts and cherries with jelly got harder and Aunty went to a support group site to find friends that would give lives and tickets in order to proceed to the next level.
That was when Aunty got hooked, and began playing it, giving lives, receiving lives, night and day. Paperwork and messes began piling up, laundry wasn’t done, dinner was often forgotten until later in the evening, and bedtime was pushed back past midnight, resulting in a bigger mess and less sleep.
Usually around this point in the game(s), is when a crisis occurs and Aunty makes a pact with God, to give up the game as penance or payment if God would please please please help in a situation.
However, just yesterday, after an especially busy week of friends visiting, an awesome 2 day workshop, company bills, invoices, and payments almost due, preparing a house for tenants and an especially fun evening of trading off extra moves and lives with a complete stranger on Candy Crush Saga, Aunty knew something HAD to give, and a brilliant solution came in.
It was almost as if Aunty could hear the one note chorus of angels and the strum of harp strings.
The solution was to give up Candy Crush Saga on all days and nights, except for Friday!! Okay, you might think that was nothing to write home about, but for Aunty, it is a beautiful wonderful way to deal with her addiction – by putting a workable control on it and going about doing what needs to be done without total withdrawal.
Aunty is so happy now! No need to feel guilty or bad about wasting time all week long anymore, or having to make a pact with God. Uncle usually goes fishing on Friday nights, and Aunty will be crushing candies! The rest of the week, Aunty will get back in the groove. More posts and updates – such as a review of last weekend’s Genius Tour workshop by the fantastic Meir Ezra.
If you see Uncle and I together, ask him how fishing is, but please be mum about Candy Crush – since Uncle thinks that I am always hard at work in the office, and it is a good way for him to think.
[Update: Aunty has changed the day of Candy Crush to Thursdays because of Aunty’s neck. I go to see Doc Breuwet on Fridays for my upper cervical adjustment, and then go home and play Candy Crush Saga until the stroke of midnight. My neck and shoulders feel awful with throbbing pain for a couple of days and I know it is because of the poor posture stuck in suspense as I play for hours. So now, if I play on Thursdays and get adjusted on Fridays, the whole week will be pain free and the adjustment will “take”. Well, that’s the theory I am sticking with for now….]