UnScrabbled - Ice Cream for the Soul by Joy Koenig, MD - Personal Growth, Wellness, Healthy Lifestyle, Meditation, Inspiration

UN-SCRABBLED
CATEGORY

        Meditation Game

DESCRIPTION

        Turn your Scrabble® board into a source of inspiration.

INSTRUCTIONS

        Do you have a Scrabble® board? Turn the letters over so you can see them. Use the letters to make a cross word puzzle on a happy theme. Stuck in traffic? Do this with a travel scrabble board in the car. If not, make your own letters or use children's alphabet blocks.

JOY'S JOURNEY

        Scrabble® is one of my favorite board games and has been since childhood. I love to play with the meaning of words, and find or invent hidden meanings for word combinations. Here's one of my favorite word play insights.

        When I was born, my parent's named me "Helen". I never really liked my name. I didn't think it fit me. I still remember how disappointed I was after I looked up the name "Helen" in a baby book. All I could imagine were lamps and ceiling fixtures -- who would name their child "light"? I went off to college, and tried to get people to call me by my middle name of "Joy". Frustratingly, all my paperwork said that my name was Helen, so I finally gave up. The last straw came when I was getting married. I thought "Helen Koenig" sounded like someone who was old, overweight and frumpy. I became more earnest, and started introducing myself to people as "Joy". I was pleasantly surprised by how many people responded to my introduction with, "Wow! Your name really fits you!" So, I further committed myself to the name "Joy", and started correcting those who persisted in calling me "Helen". In 1985, shortly before my wedding, I legally dropped the "Helen" from my name.

        A few years later, when I began consciously connecting with my spirit, I learned the word "light" is associated with spirit and God, and I wondered if changing my name had been a mistake. Now that I was becoming, um, enlightened, being named "light and joy" felt sort of cool. I decided to leave well enough alone, for the time being, and stayed with "Joy".

        My parents died a few years ago, and although I had forgiven them, I realized that I hadn"t really felt free from my painful childhood until they were no longer here to hurt me. It was shortly after that, when another meaning came to me. "Helen Joy" sounded a lot like "hell and joy". The first part of my life certainly contained elements of hell, but the second part of my life has mostly been joy, especially since putting my childhood firmly behind me. Perhaps my parents really did know what they were doing when they named me "Helen Joy".

QUOTES

Ever notice that people never say
"It's only a game"
when they're winning?
Ivern Ball

After a certain point, money is meaningless.
It ceases to be the goal.
The game is what counts.
Aristotle Onassis

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
Michael Jordan

Dr. Joy is available to present playful workshops (playshops) at your corporate training retreat, non profit organization gathering, or club membership meetings. She is located in Denver, Colorado, and travels throughout the US to deliver Serious Fun ™ Programs for personal growth, wellness, and inspiration. Please see the program pages for details and contact information.

This playful meditation activity is COPYRIGHTED. If you are a professional trainer, coach, human resources person, counselor, or therapist it is not ethical nor legal for you to use it or share it with your clients or those you supervise/train as part of your job. See the copyright notice on the front page of this e-book. Remember, character is what you do when no one is looking. Please take the high road, and pay me appropriately to use these materials professionally, even if you work for a church, school, non-profit or the government.