Dominoes for your health!

There is often down time while traveling the ICW especially where marsh lands are on both sides of the waterway and there are not alligators or birds in sight.  It is a good idea to have a book to read to stay entertained.  Carolyn and Leslie came to Meandering Joy loaded with games to keep us entertained.  I grew up playing games with my family.  Granted these games sometimes ended up in fights, but overall I remember these times fondly.  (My brother may have a different opinion…) Steve will play games but has a reputation for not always following the rules.  Hard to believe, right?

Whenever I think of dominoes, I think of standing the dominoes on end in a pattern and gently knocking down one and all the others fall in a pattern.  I couldn’t see the competitive thrill in that type of game.   Our crew members taught me that  I had a very limited knowledge of dominoes.  Carolyn, the game guru, opened a carrying case of dominoes.  She and Leslie proceeded to school me on how to play Mexican Train Dominoes.  As soon as the case was opened both Carolyn and Leslie lost all semblance of an easy-going calm demeanor.    I recognized this competitive nature (I have seen it in the mirror) and paid close attention to their instructions.  

Ernie Banks once said “The only way to prove you are a good sport is to lose.”  Carolyn and I are good sports.  Leslie–well let’s just say that we will give her another opportunity to become a good sport.   Although I wasn’t a winner, I was inspired to purchase my own set of dominoes in its very own travel case for our next guests to enjoy!  

It turns out that playing games & sports are not only fun but beneficial to one’s health.  A study in the New England Study of Medicine revealed that playing games helps to keep the brain active which lowers the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.  Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland determined that physical activity in midlife offers protection from dementia.  This study found that participants who engaged in physical activity at least two times a week had a lower risk of dementia than those individuals who were not as active.   

Now I have an excuse to play more tennis and more Mexican Train Dominoes!

Joy