Darling Indigo gave me a Snakes & Ladders board for my birthday. It’s beautiful. Like she is. It obviously took her a fair while to make. I’m flattered. Oh the joys of being a grandfather. Her grandfather. I think she got the idea because we played Snakes & Ladders in late March in Musk Vale. With much laughter. Joy brought by ladders. And many sighs and groans. Due to snake misery. It’s said a Snakes & Ladders variant originated in India over 2,000 years ago. It was used for teaching morals. I can see that. Do a good thing and climb to get ahead. Do a bad thing and slip down to where you once were. The board darling Indigo made for me came with a single rule: she had to win. We played two games. I wanted so much for her to win. She didn’t. I won both times. I’m just not clever or sneaky enough to lose without being seen to cheat. I suppose there’s a deeper meaning there. I’d love to shield her from setbacks in her life. But I can’t. Life has losses and setbacks aplenty in store for everyone. Put there to test us. Which they must. Should. Anyway I’ll treasure the board darling Indigo made me. And I hope she and I play on it many times in the future. And that she wins.
