Six

Instead of counting sheep when I have trouble getting to sleep at night, I play the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Mentally traveling through the various Kevin Connections is a great way to disconnect from anything else on my mind. As I think about the movies and the players, I visualize strings and hallways and stairways, up and down, across, over and through. It’s a peaceful and fun way to distract myself. Most often, I drift off in the middle of the game. At times, the game leads to the next morning’s earworm, so that’s an occasional bonus.

A Few Good Men is a good starting point. That one’s got everybody from Jack Nicholson to Cuba Gooding, Jr. in it. More recently, Crazy, Stupid, Love has Julianne Moore and Steve Carrell, plus Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. And, there are oodles of other films to choose from, each with a cast of characters portrayed by actors with potential connections back to the Kevin Core. The possibilities are endless.

It’s likely that I enjoy the game, find comfort in it, because I love finding connections in general. This person knows that person, this event led to that event, etc. I’m kind of wired to think that way. It’s automatic. So, a game that involves that process, has a goal associated with it, is exactly the kind of game I enjoy.

Today’s cuppa celebrates the game and the fact that it’s Kevin Bacon’s birthday. Here’s hoping he has a happy day, and here’s to connections and the fun of finding them in random and unusual ways.