I have to admit that I often get that panicked feeling when I think I am going to miss a “tapping cycle.” I end up “talking myself down” with a pep talk of “Hey…it’s not that big a deal if you get 4 in today, instead of 5.” But, I know myself. I know that if I start to slack off, it’s a very slippery slope.
It’s very much like buying a bag of Halloween Candy and promising that you will only eat 2 Kit Kat bars or 1 Butter Finger bar a day…wait…did I say 2 or 3? They’re tiny…and probably don’t amount to even a half of an actual size bar. So…maybe 4 a day is no big deal if I hit the rowing machine sometime today. But, I don’t have time to row…and I really want 4…so what the heck…4 it is…I’ll row longer tomorrow.
See?
But, tapping isn’t the same as Kit Kat bars. The fact is, I get a whole lot less satisfaction from tapping, but I am a whole lot more addicted to it. Which presents a problem when you travel. Which I am going to be doing…
In fact, I am writing this early. By the time this posts, I’ll be in New York, with my friend Dave….after battling a week when I had 3 weeks of work to do, in one week, before I took off…knowing that although I SAID it would be a “working trip” I most likely wouldn’t do much at all. Like I said…I know when the slope is slippery…and I am used to knowing when I am going to slide.
BUT, WE ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE UPDATE!!!!!!
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?????
Well…I am thinking that this is the 175th Update to Hit TSTO since it was reintroduced…6 years ago!
I started playing this game on October 1st…2012. There are tons of things that I have done for a lot shorter time (including my first marriage) which have brought me far less pleasure (like my first marriage). But, the simple fact remains…I would NEVER have imagined playing this game for 6 years, much less blogging about it to a worldwide audience for 5 years. Never, ever, ever, ever…
And yet here we are…
And to celebrate, I am on the East Coast…and I am going to cram a TON of fun into the next few days. Saturday night, I am going to see the Tedeschi Trucks Band at the BEACON THEATER in NYC with my best friend Dave. Earlier Saturday, we are hoping to find a bar that has the Ducks/Huskies game on (could be one of the greatest games of the year…or another heart-breaker).
Sunday…I am heading to New Jersey, for 4 days of a Baby Jake Full Immersion, with a special visit on Tuesday to see Alissa and Sam! (and yes…Deb can’t get the time off, and is really jealous!) Somewhere in there, I will track down my last chance of the year for a Rita’s Frozen Custard…and all will be right with the world!!
Here is a shot of Jake, right after he discovered his new “chewy spoon” along with apples and peas. Yes. He is strong enough to hold an elephant on his head!
And guess what? I will probably STILL find a way to tap…to at least clear my 4-hour tasks every 4 hours...roaming data be damned!
It’s a game. And I’m going to celebrate 6 years of tapping…by mostly not tapping. Life. It’s more than tapping…for sure.
The fact is, I started playing this game for something to do remotely with my grandsons who live in Portland. They quit playing years ago…and yet I tap.
But, tapping, and tappers have been fulfilling in ways I could never imagine. Through the generosity of tappers…we have changed lives in a remote village school in Buyijja, Uganda. Twelve rounds of books and supplies, shoes, playground equipment, a bathroom facility, clean water, and countless other small additions to make life bearable, and help increase Hope for more than 260 kids (more than 40% of whom are orphans).
Tapping did this…
Do I regret that I have spent so many hours, and dollars on this game? Well…there are days. But, for the most part, the greatest experience, and the reason I continue to tap and blog, is because of all of you. Yes. Sometimes you make me nuts. And sometimes I make you nuts. But, that’s how families are…right?
Have fun. Tap…get the stuff…and know that we get even more frustrated with EA than you do (we have to clean up their messes!). In the end…it is a game.
But, we are family…
Now pass me the bag of Kit Kats. I’ve only had 3 today. I think.