I was wondering how to illustrate this piece when I realized we have a chess set and we also have a Lego motorcyclist. Voila.
We have two grandsons, Jack (8) and Logan (3). Jack recently learned to play chess. Of course I went out and bought a chess game.
The first two games Judy played with Jack he won, and she did not let him win, he really won. The one game I have played with him so far we battled to a draw. I was trying to win. Judy and I both need to bone up on the game, which neither she nor I had played in many years.
Judy told Jack’s mom, Katie, about their games and how they had both made some really stupid errors. Jack, who is super competitive and absolutely hates to lose, was exultant in telling his mom about “Grandma’s stupid mistakes.”
Telling me about it later Judy drew an analogy that I thought was really apt. She said that chess was like riding a motorcycle in that you always have to be looking in every direction, not just in any one direction. And she speculated that maybe playing chess can help make you a better motorcycle rider by teaching you that need.
I was struck by her thought. They really are alike in the way she said. I, too, made a couple stupid mistakes when playing Jack; I wasn’t looking all around the board at all possibilities.
We all know you have to be hyper-alert out on the road. As one article I read said, the only thing a green light tells you is that the light is green. I had the truth of that driven home–literally–when my car got broadsided two years ago by a guy who blew right through the red. If I had looked up the street I was passing across I would have seen this guy coming a bit too fast for someone who was planning to stop. He was “at fault” but my stupid mistake allowed him to total my car.
Anyway, not something to get long-winded about. I just thought Judy’s thought was worth passing along. Be careful out there.
Biker Quote for Today
Everyone looks funny wearing a helmet. Helmets are funny.
Tags: motorcycles and chess