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With many businesses reopening and even some, in other parts of the country, having to close again because of health and safety procedures, a lot of frustration and even anger is seeping into our daily lives. This is happening more than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s why businesses like ours, who are following the rules and doing everything we can to keep our customers and staff safe and healthy, appreciate everyone who wears a mask, uses hand sanitizer, and has a little extra patience.

“Frustration is not the key to any door”

It can be taxing – long lines, having to wash your hands constantly, putting on a mask, social distancing, and only being able to play escape games with those you’ve been quarantined with, can be frustrating. And Judith Orloff, psychiatrist, writes in Psychology Today, “Frustration is not the key to any door.”

“You can drive yourself crazy, behave irritably, feel victimized, or try to force an outcome — which are all self-defeating reactions that alienate others and bring out the worst in them. Or, you can learn to transform frustration with patience,” she writes.

“Patience doesn’t mean passivity or resignation, but power. It’s an emotionally freeing practice of waiting, watching, and knowing when to act.”

So if we take that a step further, having patience while going to an escape room and playing with your group can make you a better, more efficient player.

“…all areas of your life will improve”

“I define patience as an active state, a choice to hold tight until intuition says, ‘Make your move.’ It means waiting your turn, knowing your turn will come. Once you’ve gone all out toward a goal, it entails trusting the flow, knowing when to let the soup boil,” writes Orloff. “With patience, you’re able to delay gratification, but doing so will make sense and feel right. Why? Intuition intelligently informs patience. It’ll convey when to have it and if something is worth working on or waiting for.”

Escape rooms can test your patience even without a pandemic emergency, but practicing patience can not only make you a better player, it can help you in your daily life.

“Practicing patience will help you dissipate stress and give you a choice about how you respond to disappointment and frustration,” writes Orloff. “When you can stay calm, centered, and not act rashly out of frustration, all areas of your life will improve.”

And all of that brings us back to today. We understand that everyone has had a rough time of it for the last few months. You can, however, now that you aren’t alone. We went through the same shelter-in-place, so did the employees. While we appreciate everyone being back in a gaming mood, we have to say that there have been some interesting “changes” that we are experiencing.

You need to wear a mask

This isn’t negotiable. There is a statewide order that requires masks to be worn in public places. We aren’t here to debate politics, we are here to support each other and do our part by wearing a mask. If you don’t want to wear a mask, and don’t feel comfortable having it on for extended periods, that’s great. We’ll see you later when masks aren’t required. Until then, have them on, and please don’t question the Game Masters when they ask you to put it on.

You need to use hand sanitizer

If you have a favorite brand, bring it and use it. If you need some hand sanitizer, we’ll provide it for you. If you’ve found a great deal on bulk sanitizer, let us know…we always love an inside tip for cleaning supplies.

Arrive on time

There are certain things we need from you. Being on time is one of them. We run shows on a schedule. That schedule has been greatly reduced because of COVID. We are spacing out games and allowing ample cleaning time in between games.