The Dating Game
Today as my blackberry shot off that obnoxious sound to alert me of a new text message from a new beau, I got to thinking of the rules and regulations one must follow in order to play the dating game. Dating, unlike any Milton Bradley board game, comes with no manual explaining the step by step instructions on how to win against the opponent. And phones, especially the iPhone, Blackberry, and any other smart phone device out there leave us to feel clueless, confused, and just plain stupid.
Should dating be a strategic and carefully planned part of life? Must we devote so much time and attention to get people to like us? I wish it was as simple as the game of Life. But, low and behold, there is no clear path that directs us to a job, spouse, 2.5 children, or even the Victorian mansion. We usually just get stuck with a GED education, remain single, and living in the Beach Shack.
Instead, dating has turned more into the game of Risk. Every text we send, every call we make, every voicemail we leave, we are risking everything we have to see or hear from that person again. If we text too soon, we come off as desperate and needy - too late, and we are uninterested and apathetic.
There aren’t black and white signs telling us what to do. And there are no useful information directed by a set of dice will to direct us on how to tactically beat the opposing team. No one informs us who killed who with the candlestick in the conservatory and no one is telling us to not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. We in turn look to our friends, the player to the left and right of us. We listen to the advice they give, and hopefully they are trying to help us…and not sink our battleship.
Perhaps what we must do, as players of this game called love, is redefine the rules and regulations to our own terms. To something that makes us have an advantage to the other player. Maybe what we should do is get a clue, try not to be sorry, and stop getting into trouble. But the most important thing I have learned is to always take a chance. You never know, you could meet the love of your life. Just make sure you don’t get sent to jail.
I end this blog with a question to my readers. Hopefully I am up to four by now. In the dating game, can there ever be a tie?
