The No Go Domino

I often find there are three kinds of domino players. One who plays the game as the game was intended, one whom cheats the game and one who uses the dominos to create limitless impeding effects through the existence of their creative mind.

Now, let us break that statement down a bit. The first type of domino player has pulled out the rule book and intends to follow the rules to win the game. However, one cannot play dominos alone if playing by the rules as the game was intended to be played. There must be others to compete against. Seemingly so predictable. Imagine, sitting at a round table with two of your mates, sodas in hand, caps pulled down and ready to become the domino champion of the evening. Oh the bragging rights the winner shall have. The winner stands and yells out I am number one! The two friends smile and give a faint clap; indeed, you are they pronounce. The second type of domino player now the champion, he bends down to grab his soda and to his friends’ surprise and invisible ink writing pen falls from his sleeve. Well. well, well one friend seemingly states. You have won because you cheated. What did you gain, he asks his cheating friend. He stands tall, smirks and says, I win bragging rights and how dare you mock me for being creative in my win. The two friends’ look at each other with quizzical looks on their faces. Mock you? The one friend says, then he continues to ask the cheating champion to explain his stance. The champion says, the rule book makes no notes of utilizing an invisible pen. Very clever, however, is your integrity intact and have you really won? No answer was given. The friends decided to sit back down and play the game without any invisible pens to see who will win the luck of the drawl.

The third kind of domino player, let us call the creative, limitless motion inspired individual. Purchases a package of dominos, takes them home and opens them up. This individual decides to create a masterpiece by lining the dominos at equal distance in random designs. Moving into a small to large spiral and ending on the other side of the room. He stands, looks at his masterpiece and exclaims to himself, I hope I kept them at the proper equal distance, I wonder how long it will take for them all to fall, I wonder if they will all lay in the same position. He walks to the beginning from where he strategically placed the first domino, crouches down, reaches out to push the first domino with his finger, He stops, he stands, and he decides to walk across the room to the very last domino he placed. He crouches down reaches his finger out to push that last domino to go in the opposite direction from which he creatively placed to be the last domino to fall. He thinks to himself, this was to be the last and now it will be the first. He pauses, stands and thinks for a moment. How beautiful it would be to go to the middle, crouch down, place a finger from each hand at two dominos lined next to one another. This was the decision he made. He went to the middle he placed two fingers out, he simultaneously touched both dominos pushing them in opposite directions. He stands and watches in marvel. One by one from right to left and left to right each domino fell. This created a beautiful ripple effect throughout the room. As both sides were nearing their end, his eyes were rapidly moving from side to side to see which row would meet its end first. Then there was silence. He looked around in amazement. Was this what he intended all along?

How do you utilize your dominos? Are you a rule follower, rule bender or a creator?