GAMES

These Foolish Games

are tearing me apart

and your thoughtless ways

are breaking my heart~Jewel

Who remembers the childhood game "REDLIGHT GREEN LIGHT?" This is the game where one person stands back turned to the crowd and at their whim yelled GREEN LIGHT! The crowd would run as quickly as possible to touch the ONE first. If that person yells RED LIGHT all motion has to cease. Anyone who doesn't stop immediately gets sent back to the starting point and are at a permanent disadvantage because the crowd is ahead of them. The only real way to win is to proceed slowly and wait for others to mess up leaving one person to get to the top spot. Although it seems the name of the game is to get to the destination first, SPEED KILLS. Which begs the question: Why didn't they make up a game called "YELLOW LIGHT?" That is more logical. Running a red light can be deadly [in dating and real life]. Going too slowly through a green light, one could lose the opportunity. The best bet is to just inch along.

Other fun and foolish childhood games "FREEZE", "Red Rover", and "TAG". All these games have the most unattainable task of controlled motion. The one in pursuit is at the mercy of the one being pursued. Sound familiar??

What does it say about me [or anyone for that matter] for only wanting GREEN LIGHTS? Aren't RED LIGHTS a part of the whole process and isn't the purpose to control the flow of traffic to prevent accidents?? Having driven in Tijuana Mexico and visited European cities, I fully understand the need for our [albeit predictable] lights. If our love lives don't have some degree of warning systems, relationships would flow endlessly until someone got hurt and that hurt would come sooner than later. A YELLOW, or warning light, is a necessary evil in the process in that it could save a life. If I just slow down or occasionally STOP to see where I am before I get lost, or worse, have a collision. As I type about it, there are benefits to RED LIGHTS. You can change direction. Check your cell phone. Just catch your breath and get your bearings to know your surroundings. In a relationship and behind the wheel, a RED LIGHT can be an opportunity to PAUSE. It's not as permanent as a DEAD END sign. It's a light on a timer and you know what??? It eventually turns GREEN.

I admit I thought I was prepared for this marathon that is dating. Nobody mentioned that it was a marathon of red light green light. At least in marathons, the traffic signals are turned off.