Good times in good company
It is the end of yet another day spent on cold roads. The heavy snow cracks under your tired footsteps. As the last light of the day covers the peaks ahead with gold, you enter a lonely and quiet hamlet. Dusk has already fallen onto the villages in the valley. You turn around to see the sun slowly disappear behind the mountains in the west. Gazing down you can see the miles covered since your campfire breakfast this morning. Even though the days are shorter, winter months seem to make travelling more tiresome. Night will fall at any moment now. Time to find a dry and warm bed.
A few torches light the quiet street here and there. You look up and a couple of hundred feet ahead you see an inn with an inviting glow shining through its diamond shaped windows. The idea of spending the night in a dry bed is so energizing that you find yourself at the building’s doorstep in the blink of an eye.
As you enter, you are welcomed and, before long, your weariness is gone, if only from your mind. Sitting at a large table by the fireplace, you enjoy a frugal meal and sip on a cup of mead. After the hardship of the journey, simple things take on their true meaning. The warmth of the fire, the aroma of the cheese, the crispness of the apple, the flavour of the bread, the fragrance of the mead, the warm smile of your table companions, the friendliness of the innkeepers. Small details that many travellers take for granted. Yet, everything in that moment fills you with content. It’s a time for resting and enjoying good company. After your meal, the other two guests at the table start a conversation, during which you all share your tales and adventures.
The owner sets down a box in between the three of you. It is full of dice, cards and small games of all sorts. He joins you at the table:
“Let’s play, shall we?”
Even though your body yearns for rest, you decide to stay and enjoy the company of these good people who you were fortunate to meet today.
I hope you are all able to enjoy some of these simple, yet essential things in the days ahead: good food, good company and good times. In our house, we make it a point to take nothing for granted and we make sure to take the time to enjoy each other’s company.
Playing games with friends and family is another great way of doing this and we will set on as many adventures together as we can. If you don’t know where to start, check out the article I posted about just that topic!
Until next year, be well and remember: why you play is more important than what you play!
Cheers,
Wouter
