Game of Life

The Game of Life has always been one of my favorite board games. It was fun to decide whether you wanted to go to college or just start out in life. With sweaty palms you pulled a salary card to determine whether you'd get $100,000 or $30,000 for your payday (if only it were like that now). And even if you ended up with only $40,000, you knew you had a chance to land on the blue space that allowed you to steal someone else's salary.

When I was little, I always hoped to be the cop, superstar, or artist. When I was older I realized that it seemed more beneficial to be the accountant or travel agent (more spaces worth more money to collect from other players).

And then came the time where you got to pick out a pink or blue stick and call him/her your wife/husband. You decided if you wanted them to drive or if you were a feminist and insisted on driving yourself. And we always named them (of course, now mine's always named Doug).

And with every roll I hoped I'd land on a space that gave me kids. I loved the games when my car was overfilling with kids. It was always a bummer when I made it through the game without one kid (but then was hilarious when I landed on the tile that made me a grandparent).

And then there was the house. As a kid you wanted the fancy Victorian or beach house.
As a teenager you realize you really do want the split level because it was only $40,000 and the insurance was cheap. Then there's the fact that you're never even living there, so who cares what kind of house you have?
Other events happened throughout this "life": Nobel Peace Prizes, Mid-life Crises, and Taxes due. Art shows, burglaries, and vacations. At the end you got to retire and hope that you had enough life tiles to win the game.

Today I was driving and I realized that I'm at the stop sign after getting married. I also laughed that I did it out of order of the game. And I already landed on many of those spaces:

Scholarship!
Buy Books and supplies.
Make new friends.
Part-time job.
Cram for exams.
Dean's List!
Write term paper.
Don't Drink and Drive.
Wedding Reception!
Happy Honeymoon!
Buy Furniture.
Car accident.
Taxes due.
Visit in-laws.
Learn CPR.
Vote!
Stock Market Slumps.
Visit Mount Rushmore.

And come Saturday I'll land on "Graduation Day!".

It was always such a futuristic game. A "when I grow up" game where you got to invent yourself (to a certain extent since a lot of it was luck of the draw and chance) and make believe what life would be like. But I am living that life. I'm still near the beginning of the board, but it's going to fly by over the next few decades. And hopefully one day I will land on that "Baby boy" or "Baby girl" space, and then later the "You're a grandparent" space.

Right now I just need to drink it all in and enjoy the ride.