First the BIG NEWS! 
My daughter and I are LINGO contestants on the new CBS show starring RuPaul. 9pm. Wednesday. March 22nd. This coming Wednesday.

Lingo, Wordle Potato, Pota-a-h-to

I got the Wordle in 2 today.

I know, right?

Does that portend a great day where things will just fall into place easily? And something I often struggle with will suddenly be easy-peasy?

How much meaning do you invest in your Wordle?

LINGO

Another 5-letter word game got my attention last Spring. I guess, just about a year ago, now. LINGO – was being rebooted by CBS, staring RuPaul as the host. My daughter and I were in the casting process,  hoping to be picked. I don’t remember how many casting calls we were on. (4? 5?) They asked you to wear mascara and jewel toned clothing. Once you were on with a casting agent, they had you play the game, and be energetic. Aside from the mascara, I was happy to do any and all of that.

In mid-August, they flew us to Manchester, England and put us up in the AC Hotel, with a proper English breakfast buffet included. The first day, we sat, eating our bangers, listening for American accents. We could hear several pairs of people who were likely contestants.

Over the next several days, we got to know everyone – as they corralled us nearly daily for rules meetings and practice games. We stayed ten days. No fooling. Any expectation you had of doing some sightseeing was foiled by a call back to the hotel for a rules meeting. You had to comply if you had any hope of playing. We did get to Sainsbury’s and TESCO and had a cheeky Nando’s. We were very near the Manchester United Football (Soccer) stadium. Ted Lasso’s team was Man City, though.

It is hard to believe. They fly 100+ people from the US to Manchester, England, put us all up in hotels for more than a week, and somehow that makes sense to produce the show in England. Little by little, we began to realize many people had to leave (for whatever reasons) and weren’t getting to play. They had brought over many more people than were needed. We didn’t know what our odds of playing would be. I kept sidling up to our welfare producers to be palsy-walsy. It couldn’t hurt.

On about the fourth day, I got sick. A cold was moving in and robbing me of thought and agency. They asked us to move hotels and told us we’d be on the show in 2 days. At the new hotel, we saw our same welfare producers – Ryan and Katie – chatting with other contestants. It felt like they were cheating on us. No one at the AC Hotel knew there was another hotel full of people who were getting to play. We dubbed the AC the Alternate Contestants Hotel.

I got sicker. And I was sick about it. What if I were too sick to play? What if it were COVID? They’d have booted us off the show and my daughter, Lucy, would also not get a chance to play. I went to Boots. It’s a great drugstore chain in England, and I went up to the prescription desk, where there was a Boots Nurse. She had a trim white nursing cap with navy blue trim and the words: “Boots Nurse” on its brim. She told me what to take to not even appear sick. They don’t have the same brands as we have, so I needed reliable advice.

The day of our show arrived, and I was drugged up. I passed the COVID test and sighed relief. We went through wardrobe, makeup and finally the taping. And it was exciting – needless to say. Once on set, everything moved so fast. Even if I’d been 100% I have no idea if I could have kept up. I’m pretty darn good at word games, but my old head was spinning.

My dear daughter had to pick up the slack bec my head felt like an overinflated helium balloon. No thoughts or ideas came. She performed brilliantly. I have to look forward to looking stupid on national TV.

There’s a reason I started this post with my Wordle score – it was 2/6 as you’ll recall – it is hard to watch your televised failure. I want to hold on to what sense of self-efficacy I have left. I at least look forward to being proud of my daughter.