Line Of Sight (It’s All Relative)
When I drive out of my gated community and turn left onto El Toro Road, after a block or two I come over a rise and there before me is an awesome sight for boy who was raised in flat, flat, flat southern Michigan. The Saddleback Mountains before me reach skyward. They look close enough to touch, even though they are a good 20+ miles away. As the sun moves on them during the day, they appear differently from minute to minute. They are far enough away that I can’t see any people or vehicles on the mountain, and yet I know that there are people there; I’ve been there.
When I drive south on Aliso Creek Road from El Toro there is a steep half mile climb. You can tell by the slightly labored sound of the engine on my car and the vehicles alongside of me. From the summit one looks down on a beautiful valley and the city of Aliso Viejo, as far as the eye can see. Clusters of homes are visible but I can never distinguish any individuals in the distance; but I know that there are people there.
We can only see what we see.
When I work with newbies who come to club, it usually transports me back on Memory Lane to the time when I was the ‘fresh meat’ in scrabble circles. I watch the newbies play, looking at their racks, like I once did, only seeing the tiles, rarely seeing any words; in the beginning I often never knew that there were words on those racks.
I was fortunate to have good scrabble teachers; I was never afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. I now try to be a good teacher for others; I am excited and enthusiastic about bringing my students up in the ranks.
When we are new at anything we can only see what we see. There is always more to see if we look at things differently and at a deeper level.
When working with my students, I am always leading them toward expanding their ‘Line Of Sight’. Once one knows and understands ‘S-A-T-I-N-E’,for instance, sixty-nine different bingos are unleashed and frequently appear on one’s rack. Learn ‘S-A-T-I-R-E’ and another seventy bingos will be added to your word arsenal.
Words are always hiding in plain sight, right there on your rack.
If you want to invest the time and a few bucks to sharpen your ability to see more things, send me an email. Have you heard about my online class, SCRABBLE 101? Have you viewed my newly released DVD, SCRABBALUTION?