Life is like a game of Tetris

If I were a superhero, my weakness would be Tetris. When my brain is fried, and it's the end of the day, and I can't read anything else, fold any more clothes, wash any more dishes, and I'm nursing Baby A to sleep, I find a game of Tetris is just the thing to keep me from falling asleep at nine o'clock.  Angry Birds was fun, for a while, but Tetris really appeals to me in a "won't get tired of it" kind of way.  I finally realized that it is so appealing because it's like a mini-metaphor for life. Some thoughts on this comparison, in no particular order:
1.  In life you have lots of "stuff" flying at you.  It's all about making it fit together well.  And sometimes it's about the overall board looking good and organized too, but mostly just about getting the pieces to fit well together.
2.  Sometimes you get dealt a piece that you really don't want.  You can't see how it fits in well ANYWHERE with what you have before you.  You get the luxury of putting it on hold for a minute.  You can take time to think about it.  But eventually you have to play that card you've been dealt.  The same one will come up again anyway.  It might fit better in a couple minutes, or it might not, but either way, you have to play your hand.

3.  No matter what, you will make a mistake in dealing with one of the things that is thrown your way. Hopefully not a huge mistake, which leaves a gaping hole in the board, but even so, you can always fix it.  It might take lots more pieces, especially if you've created a gaping hole, but it can be filled in eventually.  With time, thought, and deliberation, the holes go away.
4.  Rushing is never good.  When the pieces are flying at you quickly, it's much more difficult to deal with them.  Hard-to-place pieces feel even more insurmountable when they are moving fast.  It's often best to press pause for a minute, get your bearings, and then get back in the game.  At least then you get the three second lead-in before the pieces come flying at you again.  If you are really good, you will learn to look ahead at the list of pieces that are coming your way.  You can prepare for the future, which can make all the difference.
5.  If you are too focused on just amassing points, you are much more likely to lose sight of the big picture.  You end up with funny-shaped towers all over the place, and none of the correct pieces show up to help you get the Tetris.  And the longer you wait for exactly the piece you want, the worse it can be.  Refusing to play what you've been given can be a horrible mistake.  Eventually, you realize you threw the game away because the points were more important to you than keeping the board cleared of holes.  Slow and steady sometimes does win the race.
6.  It's best just to compete against yourself.  There is something exciting about trying to be your best, and then trying to go beyond that.  There is no pressure to be better than anyone else.  No comparing, no judging your ability against anyone else's.  And no one ever has to know your high score but you!
7.  There are good days, and there are bad days.  You win some, you lose some.  But at least you played the game.  :-)