How to Survive Coronavirus, Mahj-style

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe, offering some wisdom in this era of social distancing!

I hope everyone is healthy, or doing their best to take care of themselves. Some of the best advice I've heard is to treat the world as if YOU are infectious, because you might be--cover your coughs and sneezes with tissues, wash your hands frequently, avoid getting too close to anyone. The recommended distance is generally 6 feet, whenever possible.

None of us wanted a crisis like this; it's very frightening both as an immediate health risk and, for many of us, not knowing when we will see distant family and friends, or what will happen to our jobs or businesses. People who already have chronic illnesses are even more vulnerable. Lots of stress.... and as we know, mahj has consistently been a source of stress relief. It's one of the things I love to talk about: mahj gives us a perfect distraction from our everyday worries, for ten or fifteen minutes at a time.

Because mahj is such a friendly, close game--we sit close together, we touch the tiles constantly--it's a REALLY bad idea to meet with your group right now. I have heard of families that are playing amongst themselves, which is lovely, but as for your regular game--it's got to be on hiatus now. STAY HOME. You don't know if you're infectious and you don't know who else might be. That's one of the most insidious aspects of this particular virus: people may be asymptomatic and still act as "carriers," making other people sick.

All of the above--that life is stressful right now, and mahj is a stress relief, but playing with our friends is currently verboten--is why Bubbe wants to encourage you to consider ONLINE GAMING. In my original book, "Searching for Bubbe Fischer," I essentially slammed the one online version that I was playing at that time. I found it to be snobbish and hypercompetitive: the players "walked away from the table" if you didn't meet their expectations on winning percentage or speed level. In addition, it didn't have the same vibe as a weekly game. It was anti-social, there wasn't time to chat.

The wonderful news is that there are now many different versions online. If you and your friends use the same version, you can make a "date" and find each other online! If you aren't sure whether you are ready to play competitively online, most versions allow you to practice by playing against bots. The beautiful thing is that the bots will NEVER say no!!

I'm not endorsing any specific version here, because I am not educated about any except the one that I currently play; to be honest, I always play against the bots, but am probably ready for a "live" game. I would love YOUR feedback as to which version you play--email me at bubbefischer@gmail.com about what you like and dislike about yours, and I will happily write another article featuring those comments. For those of you currently unaffiliated: if you can't wait for the article, I suggest that you ask your group if anyone is playing online and perhaps all four (or more) of you can join together.

I know it sounds like a pricey idea--upwards of $30 or $40 for an annual membership--but if you think about how "pie" is usually $4 or $5 per session, and we may be shut in for quite awhile, it might be worth considering this as a (mental AND physical) health investment.

If you still find that the price is too prohibitive, I recommend playing mah jongg solitaire--take out your tiles, set up four "racks," go through the Charleston and then the entire game, picking and throwing as each player. It's an excellent exercise for anyone learning a new card, and something any of us can do if we long for a game. It takes longer than an average game, but you will learn some interesting things as the game progresses. Hands change all the time, and the rack that you thought would "win" falls apart while another gets transformed by selecting a few jokers.

Another inexpensive idea: join a mah jongg Facebook group like "Mah Jongg That's It," full of people just like you who love to talk about mahj!

Finally, completely no obligation: check out some of my old blog posts. Apparently there are over 50, totally free and full of all sorts of mahj advice. Bubbe's always got something to say.

Chin up--we're going to get through this. Make a good pot of tea, find a group of online friends, and mahj on!!

Talk to you soon!

Bubbe Fischer