A few weeks ago I posted an article encouraging people to put down their phones and engage in real, in-person conversation. I have seen one too many dinner tables full of people too busy looking at their phones to enjoy the company of the friends and family around them. Fast forward to this past weekend. I was at dinner with my best friend and her two sisters for her bachelorette weekend. As soon as the waiter left from bringing us our drinks, all four of us immediately picked up our phones. Before I could even check my Instagram, I stopped myself, looked around and said, “Guys! Look at us! We are all on our phones.”
We all started to giggle, but then I reminded them that we didn’t go out to dinner to look at our own phone screens for two hours. So at that point, we put all of our phones face down in the middle of the dinner table.
At first, it was weird and semi-awkward. I didn’t really know what to do with my hands. But after the first couple of minutes, we came up with an idea. We would go around the table and each person would have to ask a question that everyone would have to answer. We would take turns asking the questions, and nothing was off limits. What we thought would just be a fun past time until our food came turned into a game that we played for over an hour at dinner, at the cafe during dessert and in the car on the way home.
This simple little game produced so much more fun and laughter than anything on my phone would have. Heck, I barely even remembered to check my phone.
So, I’m hoping that the next time you’re out to dinner with your family or your friends, you’ll give this game a try, too! I’ve listed as many of the questions I can remember from my game, but feel free to add to the list. Ask funny questions. Ask serious questions. Ask personal questions. Ask weird questions. Just ask whatever questions you can, and I promise it’ll be way more fun than reading through your Twitter feed.
1. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. What is one movie you will stop what you're doing to watch every time you see it on TV?
3. If you won the lottery, what's the first totally frivolous thing you'd buy?
4. If you were president for the day, what's the first thing you'd do?
5. Where's one place in the country you wouldn't move for love?
6. If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
7. What is one feature about yourself that you absolutely love?
8. What is one physical characteristic that someone you date has to have?
9. What is one character quality/personality trait that someone you date has to have?
10. If you could go back to any time period and live, which one would it be?
11. If you could only vacation one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?
12. If you got a tattoo, where would you place it and what would it look like?
13. If you could be famous for something, what would it be?
14. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
15. If you could start your own business, what would it be?
16. If you could only wear one color for the rest of your life, what color would you choose?
17. Would you rather have to always wear formal attire (i.e. evening gowns) or get to wear whatever you want but always smell like a dumpster?
18. Would you rather marry someone who loves you but you don't love them, or marry someone who doesn't love you but you love them?
19. Would you rather die happy in 5 years or die unhappy in 50 years?
20. Would you rather know every bad thing anyone has ever said or thought about you, or have to always say exactly what you're thinking?
21. Would you rather have to move to a different state every 3 years, or never leave the state you live in for the rest of your life?
22. When you were little, what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up?
23. What was your favorite childhood toy?
24. What is your favorite childhood memory?
25. What is your biggest fear?
26. If you could only accomplish one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
27. If you could start your own charity, what would it be?
28. Would you rather have more time or more money?
29. Would you rather always be underdressed or always be overdressed?
30. Would you rather have to get rid of your phone or your TV? (Yes that includes Netflix.)
31. If you could pick any celebrity to be friends with, who would it be?
32. What's your go-to drink at Starbucks?
33. What is your dream job?
34. If you could pick the number of kids you'd have and their genders, what would you choose?
35. What is your favorite holiday and why?
36. What's your favorite book of all time?
37. If you could guest star on one TV show, which show would you pick?
38. What's your favorite invention of all time?
39. What is one thing that's a total turnoff to you in a relationship?
40. If you could marry an celebrity, who would it be?