Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Today I will be writing about the influences TV game shows can have over lives. Not all shows, certainly, but one in particular, a long-running, internationally copied, and extremely popular show, “Jeopardy.” I don’t know exactly when I started watching the show, but it was a long time ago. I started in my parents’ home, and was usually joined by my mother, Margaret Kiddie Plath, or as she was known by most of her friends and associates, Peggy. Mom and I enjoyed the challenges, and the relationship would endure over the years.
It continued after Mom and Dad sold their home in New Jersey and moved to Florida to enjoy their retirement years. Whenever I visited, our routine would resume — “Jeopardy” followed by “Wheel of Fortune,” or the reverse. Mom and I participated in a playful competition. Who did best today? She was a whiz at filling in the blanks in the Wheel Wall, while I did slightly better solving the complicated “Jeopardy” board.
When my dad, her husband of 55 years, passed away in 1990, I began making more frequent visits. Our bond, I think, became even stronger, and our rituals solidified. I cherish those memories, and can still hear her hearty laughter. She remained pretty sharp into her 90s, and this was our very own personal connection. Mom began to fail at age 93, and left us at age 96. But those memories are indelible.
I still watch “Jeopardy.” In fact, I am a bit obsessed with it. If I can’t watch it live, I record it so as to not miss any episode. It is not insignificant that I am writing this on my birthday, for “Jeopardy” has become one of my markers as to how I am doing. I am physically slower and weaker than I was. However, I still have a full head of hair, which is brown.
Dr. Douglas Plath practiced psychotherapy for the Department of Mental Health in Westchester County, N.Y., and in private practice. He taught psychology for SUNY and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Plath is in his 80s.
