A road trip game for you
with an added bonus: you'll feel seen, known, and understood (or not?) ... and that's ok too
Summer often goes hand-in-hand with vacations.
And vacations often go hand-in-hand with road trips.
And road trips often go hand-in-hand with time slowing down to a crawl.
Car games to the rescue: 20 questions, would you rather …, contact (do you know that one? it’s less common, but a good one!), random trivia questions, the alphabet game (isn't a poorly timed Quality Inn the worst?).
And the new game I just learned last week: wavelength.
My kids taught me this game which is apparently a TikTok trend … I mean, what isn’t these days? {Yup, that sentence just popped into my head and made its way onto the page … and yes, that’s how I know I am officially getting old(er).}
It’s a version of the game Wavelength (which is also a really fun board game and app).
After a few rounds, it dawned on me why this game is so popular.
More than just being fun and passing the time, it really is a test of am I seen … known … understood?
Here’s how it works (well, this is how we played it, anyway):
One person {the thinker} chooses a number between 1 and 10
The other people - or person - {the guesser(s)} name three categories and ask the thinker what, in the category, is represented by their number
Example: If your number is 2 and the category given is “candy”, you might say Kit Kat if you’re not really a fan of Kit Kats. You could also get more descriptive and say a soggy, melty, grainy Kit Kat {ewwwwww 🤮}
Another example: If your number is 9 and the category given is “vacation spots”, you might say the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Big Island of Hawaii, if you like oceanfront luxury {aaahhhhhh 🤩}
You can get super creative with the categories given - and answers - or be as generic as you want.
The guesser then guesses what the thinker’s number was, and you see how close you were.
As you might imagine, if the guesser chooses the number smack dab on target, the thinker will probably feel seen and understood.
And if the guesser chooses a number way off base, you’ll be like “what the heck? do you even know me?'“
Known as the “Mother of Family Therapy”, author, clinical social worker, and psychotherapist Virginia Satir said,
I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand and to touch another person.
So, yeah, play the game and pass the time in your road trips (or sitting on the beach or hiking down a trail), and also build connection with your friends and family as you get a chance to see, know, and understand one another in a deeper, more intimate, and also fun way.
Happy summer travels 🚗☀️🏖️.
xo
ilana
Amherst locals …
Practice yoga outside with me and an amazing and welcoming community at Andrew’s Greenhouse in South Amherst, MA every Saturday 8 - 9 am. (There are classes with other fabulous instructors EVERY day of the week!)
Everyone …
There are just a few rooms left on the Start Fresh retreat at Lake Atitlán with my pal Emilie Reid and me, January 25 - February 1, 2025. Early Bird pricing now available ($300 discount) with code EARLYBIRD.