Day 988 Beaches & Social Barriers

 

Beach hopping, lunch at Narragansett Beach, then closed the day at Green Hill Beach Club—not a bad day! The sun was shining, although the wind reminded me that it wasn’t summer just yet. Narragansett Beach is arguably the most beautiful beach in Rhode Island, although because of this reputation, it's almost impossible to enjoy during the summer months—wall-to-wall blankets, chairs, and people as far as the eye can see. It’s a beautiful beach to walk during the off-season, with a good long stretch of sand to get a few miles in.

Green Hill Beach always has plenty of elbow room, even on the hottest summer days. I suppose that's because it’s a private beach club—so, there’s that. Every Wednesday night at our club is card night: high-low-jack players, all eager to play. They say it’s open to everyone, although it’s clear it’s a night for card players.

Tim and I met a friend there, determined to break a couple of barriers and play Mahjong. We arrived, game in hand, and set up our table. Before we knew it, the card players were right on top of us, getting their games going and chattering away. They were surprised to see Tim playing Mahjong—apparently, the unspoken rule is that it’s a game only for women. Crazy, but true.

So not only were we playing Mahjong on a card night, but Tim—who’s a well-known and pretty skilled high-low-jack player—was shunning the cards for tiles. And on a Wednesday night, no less! The gods must have rewarded his boldness—he won the first two games we played.

I might just try to break through the Wednesday night barrier more often, staking a claim for other options on sacred card night.

Call us rebels—shaking up tradition, one tile at a time.