Dear Universe,
Growing up, my brothers and I spent a lot of time playing Monopoly. Let me rephrase that. We spent a lot of time manipulating the rules of Monopoly to suit our needs. We had our own guidelines, own code of ethics and even had to bring in more fake money from a MAD board game. These games went on for weeks. Basically no one else could have ever played with us. It was a system and ritual only the three of us understood.
I haven’t thought of that for years, but the other day I met someone who casually mentioned that he played competitive Monopoly once a week with his friends.
I had never heard of anyone doing this before! I was intrigued! And then I asked the first question that came to mind.
What piece are you?
I think what piece you choose in Monopoly says something about you. When he responded, “the car,” I immediately jumped to several conclusions. He liked to be in charge, took the game seriously and played for the expensive properties. Basically he was in it to win it and would run over any other pieces that came in his way. I told him, “Everyone always wants to be the car. Do you have to fight for it?” He looked up with an air of arrogance, shoulders squared back and said, “No. Everyone knows I love cars. I’m the car and they just hand it to me. No questions asked.”
Okay. Suspicions confirmed.
This got me thinking about what the other pieces are and what they can mean.
Here’s what I came up with:
Car: Just to add to the above… Quick-thinking, likes the nicer things in life
Dog: Kind, dependable, sweet
Canon: Spontaneous, wild at heart
Wheelbarrow: Down-to-earth, hard-working, nature lover
Iron: Homebody, likes everything to be in its proper order
Thimble: Crafty and creative, good with making or fixing things with hands
Man on Horse: Adventurer, can’t sit still for long
Top Hat: Likes glitz and glam, social, doesn’t mind big crowds
Boot: Likes the outdoors, active
This is by no means scientific, but I think I may be onto something here.
Thanks for the memories. I’m having a vision. The Monopoly board may make an appearance at Thanksgiving. And I’ll be the thimble. Or the iron. I always root for the underdog—and in my family no one ever fights for those pieces.
With Gratitude,
A
