The Game of Three

I made up a not-very-thrilling game once that I like to call The Game of Three. Essentially it's a good way to spend time with someone that you don't have a lot of small talk with which to occupy yourself. I like to play it with people I haven't seen in a while, or people I don't see often, because it makes us (said person and I) feel as if we're catching up on one anothers' lives in the most fun way possible. All you do is take turns asking questions in groups of three, and see what happens.

It goes as follows. Let's say I begin. "Dear So-and-So, what are your three least favourite foods?"

"Well, Jo, I prefer to never eat beets, dog, or goldenrod. As for you, what three things would you like to do before you die?"

"Be raptured, have a family, go to Jerusalem. And who would you pick to be your three bridesmaids/groomsmen, if limited to just three?"

You get the idea.

Clearly, it's not usually that polite between myself and the unsuspecting person with whom I am playing, and it can get downright noisy sometimes. Trust me on this.

The thing is, though, it's very difficult to play the game with someone who is a concrete thinker. The concrete thinker feels as if he or she must answer each question entirely correctly. They're not satisfied to simply list three books that they really, really like, but they have to think until they're almost entirely sure that their three books are their favourites. They're not content to state their three pet peeves until they're sure that those three pet peeves are categorically the most important ones in their life.

Personally, I just say the first three things that come to mind. What three things do I hope to NOT do in the next year? Drugs, have any of my limbs amputated, burying a loved one. Now, there are likely other things I would prefer to avoid for the next twelve months, but that's just what tumbled from my tongue first.

So if you find yourself awkwardly helloing someone you haven't seen for a while, make sure to play The Game of Three when small talk has run dry. You'll find yourself learning a great deal about the other person. And, who knows? Maybe you'll learn a little bit about yourself.