Called Bunin asking for some improv game suggestions for a giving and receiving feedback workshop I am writing and facilitating in a month. My thought is that using some listening games would be a fun way to get people thinking about being in the moment and it would be different from the usual thing.
He reminded me of the game Zip, Zap, Zop. Everyone stands in a circle, one person claps, points at someone else and says ZIP. The person that was pointed at claps, points at someone else and says ZAP. The third person that was pointed at claps, points at someone and says ZOP. . . and around and around you go. It is harder than it sounds.
He asked, “How are things?” and I said “Fine. Things are fine. Putting along. . . Running on my hamster wheel.”
And things are fine.
They’ve certainly been worse. Which I know isn’t a ringing endorsement, but I didn’t want to say what’s going on given I only chat with him a few times a year.
I have far too many friends like that in America. . . “How are things?” They ask and I say, “Fine. Never better. . .Oooo! Look! Cows!”
I wonder. . . if I don’t feel like I can say, . . If I feel like I have to protect them from my imminent nervous breakdown, are they still friends?
It is interesting the people in your life that you don’t see a lot and you can fall back into that easy banter with and others there is a distance and then I wonder was there always the Grand Canyon divide with those people and you chose to ignore it because they were standing in front of you?
I asked Mike, “How are things?” And he said, “Good, good, good. . . Things are good.”
