Gary Brown: Playing 'Dirty Marbles' to survive

My loved one and I got into a group that plays "Dirty Marbles" once a week, and you'll probably be relieved to learn that it has nothing to do with doing anything kinky.

Dirty Marbles is a board game played with, well, marbles and a board – no surprise there – as well as two decks of cards shuffled together.

It's also called "The Marbles Game," for obvious reasons. Another name is "Marbles Aggravation Game," which one online reviewer claimed makes it "perfect for family night," I suppose if you've got the kind of family that argues at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It's called "WAHOO," too. I'm not sure why. We've been playing the game for months and I've never once heard that said, much less shouted in upper case.

The game itself reminded me of Parcheesi, in the sense that you've got to maneuver your marbles from a "home" spot to an eventual "safe" goal.

It's a lot of fun because along the way you get to block other players, and switch spots with them if it's to your advantage, and send them back home and do other things to them that might keep you from being invited back next week if you don't follow the mean acts with some form of apology, such as, "sorry," "I hate to do this," or "nothing personal."

One of my favorite apologies to my loved one when I send her back to the start is "It's going to be a quiet ride home tonight, isn't it?..."

Game popular in winter

Many of you who winter in Florida or Arizona or some other warm state no doubt are familiar with the game. It seems to be popular in southern communities of senior citizens.

Indeed, my loved one and I learned it from four "snowbirds," individuals who annually flee the the cold temperatures and chilling wind and heavy snow, in favor of the sun and warmth of the south. All of which is a nice way of saying they're old people, like us.

And that's what is so ironic about the name "Dirty Marbles." Old people tend to be neat people, who have spent recent years downsizing their stuff and cleaning what's left so everything looks orderly when we kick off.

So, the marbles in "Dirty Marbles" aren't the least bit soiled. All the marbles I've played with have been shiny. I'm not sure if the owners of them spend time polishing their marbles while they're binge-watching something on Netflix, but by the time they bring them to the game each week they're as shiny as mirrors. You could see yourself in them if your face was marble-sized and sort of concave.

The board is pretty clean, too, although somebody's board – I'd rather not say whose – now might have a crumb from a brownie at the bottom of one of the "home" holes which was occupied by a marble until that marble was moved by a hand that previously had been snacking. A crumb might have dropped from that hand, into the hole. I'd rather not say whose crumb.

But, I digress.

Socialization is a good thing

Let's just say "Dirty Marbles" is a fun game and it's enjoyable being around the people playing it.

Winning is part of it. I don't do a victory dance whenever I emerge a winner, but I assume I'm smiling when I either leave a host's house or usher game guests to my own door.

Still, the smile might emanate more from the companionship than the competitiveness.

As we age, we lose more and more of those who are close to us. Our friends pass or begin to live at a distance. Whenever new acquaintances arrive in our lives, we should welcome them.

We should look forward to game nights. We should cherish the friendships of those who attend them with us. We should appreciate the social interaction and let such simple gatherings give us a reason to live out our lives in happiness.

Just one bit of advice. If you are the type who values winning and can't seem to ignore the opportunity to send your loved one "home" in a game – at every opportunity – don't smile and try to get into a conversation afterwards that includes the observation, "Well, that was a fun night. You seemed to get picked on a little bit, but it was nothing personal ..."

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Gary Brown: Playing 'Dirty Marbles' to survive