Games we play

Some of you may have seen my post on FB referencing Nathan's virtual fishtank (well, now there are actually THREE tanks). This was a free app that I downloaded thinking it would be a fun diversion for Nathan. Every day he asks to see his fishtanks, and he gets to feed them, love them, and clean their tanks. We also buy and sell them to make more money and unlock more fish. Right now he really wants to make level eight so he can buy an orca whale :)

I used to laugh at the people who played Farmville or had the fishtanks on FB, I thought they were so ridiculous. But I have to admit, I'm a little bit addicted. Do you remember when you were little and played Tetris on the Nintendo till the wee hours of the morning, only to go to sleep and play in your dreams? Well, I play Tap Fish in my dreams. I'm also getting wrapped up in the strategy of the game. The premise is this: you start off with a nominal amount of coins and "Fish Bucks" which are the currencies you use to buy fish eggs, decorations, etc. You start by buying a few cheap eggs and then can earn coins and experience points by reselling them or breeding them and selling the offspring. Here's where it gets complicated. There are several thousand permutations of bred offspring, some of which pay off far more than others. Also, the fish resell at different premiums, and mature over different periods of time. So a low cost fish might yield only five coins ROI, but in a four hour time period, while a higher cost fish yields 50 coins, but takes three days to mature. See where I'm going with this? I have literally had to fight the urge to create an Excel spreadsheet to figure out the smartest moves. Not only would this be a huge waste of time, but Nathan could care less about fish ROI. He buys fish because they're a color he likes, or because it's a scary shark. Then, he won't let me sell some of them (i.e. our bunnyfish) because he's attached to them! Yes, I know, I need to let go.

Speaking of letting go, one of the major adjustments I've had to make is learning to NOT be in a rush. Because my time with the boys is not at a premium like it was before (not to say it's not important, there's just more of it). It used to be if we were still in the house at 10 a.m. I could hear the clock ticking and time wasting away. Now, since we're not in a rush to accomplish the next task, I am learning to relax and take things slower. I'm definitely learning to enjoy the process, not just the end result. I'm very thankful for both being able to do this and for the fact that this adjustment has been positive and not negative.