For awhile Saturday evening, my husband and I enjoyed playing Scrabble. But then it once again became a “supposedly fun thing” neither one of us wanted to do any more. 

I was losing by a lot when I pulled the “Z” tile then wracked my brain, trying to catch up in one play. My turns were taking a long time. Mike lost patience. (And he is an incredibly patient human being.)

His sighing broke my concentration. I became frustrated. I probably cursed. 

We both left the game while we still had letters, which means it technically wasn’t over. A dud activity on a date night.  

The problem: Mike is a really good Scrabble player.

I am not.

This drives me bonkers. I should be good. I love words! Words are my life. 

If I was a better, faster, more competitive player, we could really enjoy this, particularly while we’re staying home so much during the pandemic.

Could the language of love be COMPETITION?

“Everything is Figureoutable”

A few weeks ago, I listened to a great interview with Marie Forleo, author of “Everything is Figureoutable,” which is a mindset of relentless optimism. I’ve not yet read the book. But I love this idea, which is already inspiring me to simply tackle whatever is bugging me.

Pie dough that easily rolls out? Yep! Re-designing this website? You bet. 

Becoming competitive at Scrabble? Absolutely. I am the least competitive member of our family of athletes. But that just might be changing. A little.

I need strategies. When I look at my seven letters, my mind assembles them into familiar words I’m likely to write or read in prose. Interesting words with multiple letters — not necessarily words that work with what’s already on the board or score high points.

During our Valentine’s Day game, that word was “color” and I leapt at the chance to play it. I love that word! The points? An after-thought.

See my problem? My enthusiasm for these words, unfortunately, is a liability.

Two Letters Spell Cutthroat

When we played tonight, I drew the Q and held onto it for several turns, awaiting a “u.” Quilt. Squint. Squeal. All great words. Wrong approach. I scored well that turn with “quid” but still lost the game. Again!

So I googled Scrabble strategies, and learned about words like “qi” the bodily energy in Chinese medicine and “jo” a Scottish term for sweetheart. (WordFinder has a cutthroat list of “7 ways 2-letter words boost your Scrabble score.”)

WordFinder’s list of two-letter words is printing right now.

Study the Dictionary? Mmmmmm. How I love words and the thought of becoming a fierce and formidable Scrabble player. A worthy opponent for a strong player.

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Do you enjoy playing Scrabble? Can you share any tips!?

Leave a comment below! Remember: This post is part of the Love Notes Challenge, every day in February, 2021, and every comment is a chance to win a ThanksgivinginFebruary.com prize!