Thank you, Solitaire, Goodbye

I blame Solitaire for not having blogged in a long time.   

Computer Solitaire and its virtual tentacles kept me tethered to the computer screen playing game after game after game when I knew I should have been doing something else. 

 

I don’t know about you, but Solitaire was a companion, a comfort, a friend who helped get through the days and nights of Covid cabin fever. Hours of blissful Solitaire eased the reality of what was happening, or not happening, around me. 

Whenever I got tired of writing, watching television, listening to music, bickering with myself, or eating, I’d take a “break” and play a game or two of computer Solitaire, which would lead to three, then four, then thirty-four, then “just one more game” to see if I’d win. 

My competitive nature would kick in and I’d become determined not to stop playing until I won, and then when I won, I’d want to see how many games I could win in a row. My winning streak is nine games. Damn that tenth game! 

 

But now as I step back into life, I have to ween myself off of Solitaire. It’s not as easy as it sounds, but I am confident and determined I will. I fear dropping dead from a Solitaire overdose and having friends find me in a state of rigor mortis humped over my keyboard while in the middle of a game. 

I have spoken to numerous friends, and they too developed an obsessive pandemic relationship with computer Solitaire echoing the “just one more game” mantra. All I can say is thank goodness it’s free. Can you imagine if there was a fee per game? Even at a penny per ten games, I would be, well... totally broke. 

And wouldn’t it be funny if when we die and reach the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter lets us know how many hours we played Solitaire? And how many games won versus the number of games lost?  

 

Yes, computer Solitaire has brought me joy, lots of solitary joy, but now it’s time to click off the computer and mingle in the real world. 

 

Thank you, Solitaire for being a favorite waste of time. 

 

Goodbye, Solitaire. We shared some beautiful memories together. 

 

But before I go, let’s play “Just one more game.”