It’s true, I love games. I love tennis and pickleball. I love cards and board games. I am always up for a game of Heads Up with the kids while we wait in line. When someone first suggested mahjong to me, I immediately associated it with an old lady game and brushed it off.
After watching a group of women in their mid-30s playing mahjong poolside in Miami, I was intrigued. These women were a few years younger than myself, dressed in fabulous clothes sipping drinks at The 1 Hotel on South Beach. The table was filled with beautiful tiles and a coordinating mat and pushers. When I asked about the game and if I could learn, the dealer rolled her eyes. She explained that it was tough to learn and suggested I find a teacher when I returned home. They all assured me that someday I would be hooked like they were!
A few months went by and I kept noticing more and more mahj. They played at the library on Fridays, but nobody taught. A group at the gym played on Wednesday, but they had a full table. I now wanted in more than ever to this exclusive club of mahjong ladies.
My friend Jen and I were shopping one day and saw another set of tiles for sale. They were pink and green and in a beautiful lucite tray for $600. How could I splurge on something I didn’t even know how to play? I asked if the sales associate knew someone to teach. She slyly wrote a number on a piece of paper and told me this teacher is rarely available, but she is the best. Jen, being the good sport she was, agreed to learn this game with me too and we texted the number.
At our first lesson, the teacher showed us why she was hard to book and had a reputation as “the best.” Her tournament record was proof enough for us. She was patient and walked us through everything. Jen called "Mahjong!" and we were both obsessed. We learned the cards, the tiles, and we were on our way.
I started playing as much as I could. I had more lessons, I played and started teaching my friends.
Eventually, I completed the teacher certification with Oh My Mahjong and decided everyone needs to learn the gift of this game.
This past summer, I was teaching a group of new mahjong players and reflecting on how happy the game made me. I was rarely on social media anymore. I was online shopping less. I was making genuine new friendships. And most of all, I was laughing and smiling more. I was playing at least twice a week and I felt the happiest I had been in a very long time.
In a mahjong game, there is only one winner. Sometimes it is a wall game and nobody wins. If you aren’t first, you are last. It is a friendly competition, but some days you just don’t win. You can be so close to mahj, stop the Charleston, and another player wins. There is strategy, and that is what I can teach, but the rest is luck. There are some days when even the best player just can’t find a winning hand and never draws a joker. Nobody remembers or cares who wins. Everyone just wants to know when the next game is and who is hosting.
I'm so glad I challenged myself to learn a new skill. It had been a minute, so it was the perfect time to start mahjong. Mahjong is a tough game to learn, but I welcome all the benefits!
Related Posts
