Facilitator of Fun

​

When I heard there was a factory right here in Rhode Island making Mahjong tiles, backgammon sets, and dominoes, I immediately reached out to see if I could arrange a field trip for folks to tour it.

After a bit of back-and-forth, we set a date, and a limited number of people were lucky enough to snag a spot on the roster for what turned out to be an amazing trip.

I didn’t go myself. I’m more of an organizer, and I get almost as much joy from creating meaningful experiences for others as I would from going myself. Maybe more.

I was tickled pink when everyone returned with rave reviews, not just of the trip itself, but of the factory and the incredible craftsmanship happening right here in little Rhode Island.

The Crisloid factory creates handcrafted games that sell for a pretty penny, but considering the artistry, time, and care that go into each piece, they’re worth every cent.

I sat in my office, working on this and that, eager to hear all about it. I was over the moon when they returned and I was handed a small pouch of tiles from the factory as a gift… yay!

The tiles are stunning, each Mahjong tile hand-painted with meticulous care. I sat admiring each one, turning them over in my hands, fascinated by the detail and wondering about a few of the pieces while being completely dazzled by the colors.

One of the pieces had a magnet on the back, so it immediately found a home on my whiteboard. I may need to glue magnets onto a few more so I can display them prominently.

A few of my friends were on the trip, so I got to live vicariously through their stories and photos...I wish I could have bottled their excitement.  I was thrilled to have been able to give them that experience and loved hearing their tales from the day. 

I don’t often blog about my work, but days like this remind me why what I do matters. Creating opportunities for people to connect, learn something new, and share in an experience together....more  important than most of us realize! 

So I guess you could say I’m officially a facilitator of fun.

Now that’s a title I don't mind at all, and certainly have worked hard for. 

“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.” ~ Alberto Giacometti