The Wii Experiment
So over the New Year holiday we got ourselves a Wii. We were given a gift to be able to buy one. We'd done our research and realized that many of the games for the Wii were what we were looking for. And so began an experiment of sorts, how would I handle having a gaming system, since I hadn't had one in over 8 years. I'd gotten a game that I really wanted to play, Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers. One of the first things I did though was told Ginger to keep me accountable. If I started slipping off and spending all my time with it, then I wanted her to say something. Yes, something new you always want to spend time with, however I did not want it to break into my time with my wife.
Ginger found she loved watching me play. I'd swing that remote, pulling treasure chests to my character, throwing boxes, running and walking, she had many a laugh. She'd sit on the couch and read and I'd play the Wii. For the first week, I was on it every night. I felt that pull of thinking about it, wanting to get to the next level, or that rare item, but put it to something new and shiny to play with. Toward the end of the week, however, Ginger had to say something. Nothing harsh, just a little reminder that hey, your wife is here and she wants some time with you. You see, that is what accountability partners do. They tell the truth, in love, and as she saw my attention waning, she helped me back.
So the next week, I tweaked the experiment. For the most part, unless nothing was going on, I stayed off the Wii. I spent time with Ginger, stayed engaged, and when I had moments alone I played. On our date night (Friday) I spent time with Ginger. On Saturday morning, that was my designated game time, and I played most of the morning and afternoon except for doing my honey do's! And that system seemed to work much better.
Don't get me wrong, Ginger is not in competition with the Wii. Nor does she want me to give her attention 24 hours a day, always doing things with her and never doing my own thing. We have our times of "alone" time, but what we found in the first week is my alone time was interfering with we time (pun intended). The second week was better and it allowed me to take a look at myself in yet another aspect. We all need periods of time where we need to unwind, but as well, we need those times of engagement, total engagement, not half hearted listening while your silently thinking how am I going to defeat the iron giant!
I found myself less interested in facebook (not that bad of a deal), emailing, and even blogging, I just wanted to play the game. I'd say part of that is the newness of it, but as well, I know myself and how my addictive personality can latch onto something given free, unrestrained reign. Taken in moderation, at least concerning the Wii, I find myself more relaxed, less stressed, and able to "check out" for a bit. But with Ginger, my lovely wife, keeping watch, I'm able to keep a balance so that I'm not "checking out" all the time, being an introvert and having tendencies to isolate.
So all that said, I'm having a blast with this game. There are no guns, and the only weapons are rocks and such that you have to pick up and throw at the enemies. Behemoths and Iron Giants are huge and if I was 20 my reflexes would be spot on, but I'm learning it! And I keep trying and trying. However, I will say that all Ginger has to do is give me that wink and the game goes off...you do the math....
God is good!
Baa
Ginger found she loved watching me play. I'd swing that remote, pulling treasure chests to my character, throwing boxes, running and walking, she had many a laugh. She'd sit on the couch and read and I'd play the Wii. For the first week, I was on it every night. I felt that pull of thinking about it, wanting to get to the next level, or that rare item, but put it to something new and shiny to play with. Toward the end of the week, however, Ginger had to say something. Nothing harsh, just a little reminder that hey, your wife is here and she wants some time with you. You see, that is what accountability partners do. They tell the truth, in love, and as she saw my attention waning, she helped me back.
So the next week, I tweaked the experiment. For the most part, unless nothing was going on, I stayed off the Wii. I spent time with Ginger, stayed engaged, and when I had moments alone I played. On our date night (Friday) I spent time with Ginger. On Saturday morning, that was my designated game time, and I played most of the morning and afternoon except for doing my honey do's! And that system seemed to work much better.
Don't get me wrong, Ginger is not in competition with the Wii. Nor does she want me to give her attention 24 hours a day, always doing things with her and never doing my own thing. We have our times of "alone" time, but what we found in the first week is my alone time was interfering with we time (pun intended). The second week was better and it allowed me to take a look at myself in yet another aspect. We all need periods of time where we need to unwind, but as well, we need those times of engagement, total engagement, not half hearted listening while your silently thinking how am I going to defeat the iron giant!
I found myself less interested in facebook (not that bad of a deal), emailing, and even blogging, I just wanted to play the game. I'd say part of that is the newness of it, but as well, I know myself and how my addictive personality can latch onto something given free, unrestrained reign. Taken in moderation, at least concerning the Wii, I find myself more relaxed, less stressed, and able to "check out" for a bit. But with Ginger, my lovely wife, keeping watch, I'm able to keep a balance so that I'm not "checking out" all the time, being an introvert and having tendencies to isolate.
So all that said, I'm having a blast with this game. There are no guns, and the only weapons are rocks and such that you have to pick up and throw at the enemies. Behemoths and Iron Giants are huge and if I was 20 my reflexes would be spot on, but I'm learning it! And I keep trying and trying. However, I will say that all Ginger has to do is give me that wink and the game goes off...you do the math....
God is good!
Baa
All things in moderation... ;)
ReplyDeleteExcept lovin' the Lord and your family.