I don’t play a lot of games (board or other). I play solitaire and some Yahtzee clone on my phone. I would play charades in a room full of people, no problem. But my favorite game to play is Scrabble.

I’m not a great Scrabble player. I know all the big words, but I’m not good at what gets the real points in the game — placing tiles that give multiple words. I knew a woman who had this skill, and she could play 600-point games. I never beat her at Scrabble.

I think being able to play multiple words by playing laterally is a spatial skill and this is why I lack it. I lack spatial skills, but my verbal skills are almost enough to get me through in Scrabble. Almost. Still, it’s my favorite game.

Am I seeking security or adventure? I’m 61 and pretty settled down. I also don’t have the endurance I want to have, so I think I’m on the side of security.

I never thought I would choose security to adventure. When I was younger (and unmedicated bipolar), I wanted adventure. I went on many (sometimes ill-advised) adventures in Chicago and various other places. I walked in dark neighborhoods at night, rode in a car with someone who shouldn’t have been driving, and talked down an oversize hippie who thought ‘free love’ was mandatory. Don’t get me wrong, I liked adventure, usually.

Nowadays, I do repeat vacations in the same place. I don’t go on roller coasters (although maybe I should fix that).

At least I am adventurous with some things. I am very adventurous about food. If Jamaican chicken curry is a sign of adventurousness, then maybe I am a bit adventurous. Just not the way I used to be.

This should not be any surprise for anyone who reads this blog, but in the debate between dogs and cats, I come down on the side of cats.

I have three cats, who are right now in the living room — Pumpkin Spice is lounging on the back of the couch, Chuckie is helping Richard make coffee, and Chloe is lurking around. Richard is talking to Chuckie, making up all sorts of new names for him, all on the variation of “Doofus”. (A doofus is a goofball, or silly creature). I can’t imagine life without them.

Cats are lovely creatures, graceful (except for Chuckie), silly (especially Chuckie), loving (we’re not so sure about Pumpkin Spice), intelligent, and curious. They’re little creatures with their own personalities, and they like to play little games with us like “Let me into the bathroom” (Chucky), “Imma lick your face” (Chloe), and “I love you I hate you” (Pumpkin Spice). They’re like idiosyncratic little people in fur suits.

I don’t mind dogs. I pet other people’s dogs. But dogs seem so dependent. They’re loyal and attuned to their owners. Cats, on the other hand, are not owned. They coexist with us and develop friendships. Dogs seem more like a hostage situation, although I’m not entirely sure who’s holding who hostage.

Obviously, I vastly prefer cats. My cats like me at least a little. How could I do without them?

I think anxiety gets better with age. After all, once someone gets older, they’ve seen everything. They’ve survived everything. They’re no longer thrown into the unknown.