Game of Life

(the prompt was about games and child hood. I decided to put any words that are game titles in capitals)

'I may have to grow old, but I don't have to grow up.'

The good book says, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, thought as a child, reasoned as a child. Now that [I am grown] I have put away childish things"

Really? Not our society. 'Childish Things' is big business.
That would be a good name for an OPERATION that sells them.
Some MASTERMIND repackages them in BREAKOUT movies.
I understand how hard it is to LEGO of childhood.

We can't let games have a MONOPOLY on out time, right?
We have to leave the TRIVIAL PURSUITs of life to work.

Maybe we can use some of our skills from games to help us:
TETRIS?--grocery bagger. CENTIPEDE?-Pest control expert.
RISK?-insurance agent(RISK assessment department, of course).
OPERATION?-how many doctors used to play this?
DEFENDER?-Lawyer(public defender) or the Dept. of Defense.

The real problem comes in facing the PITFALLs of real life.
I'm SORRY, I don't want to be all DOOM and gloom here,
But in this world we will have TROUBLE.

BARBIE is on 'the surreal housewives of MATELL'.
G.I. JOE has post traumatic stress disorder.
PAC MAN and HUNGRY HIPPPO have eating disorders.
HOPSCOTCH always did look like a sobriety test.
Maybe we skip the scotch and stop playing beer PONG.

'Win at any cost, but play by the rules', we were taught.
Seems the new rules are CHEAT but don't get caught.
CAPTURE THE FLAG is a hostile take over.
TAG is pass the buck, shift the blame, sling mud at your opponent.
It BOGGLEs the mind.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think we should put games away.
I'm encouraged by the popularity of games today.
Let's press the reset button and return to innocence and family.
Dig out your dusty rule book and read it again.
It is a guideline to success, fairness, and playing well with others.
Trade childishness for child-likeness.

To really paraphrase Jesus, "Never refuse a child your time and attention. This is a key to the kingdom of Heaven (or spiritual enlightenment if you will): it's not too late to change your ways. Approach life with child like faith, humility and wide-eyed wonder, and you will begin to see wonderful things and go to amazing places."  

I want to be a stuntman.

When I was born, man walked on the moon,

It was the 'Summer of Love', the age of Aquarius, and Woodstock,

Easy Rider, Monty Python, and Sesame Street began.

Eight years later things had changed.

Hippies are dancing to disco.

That's when punk was born.

Vietnam is over, Nixon is done and the peanut gallery takes over.

I didn't know, I was watching Scooby Doo, and the Muppet show.

There were Happy days, Waltons, and Little House on the Prairie.

I guess what I liked best was action.

Charlie's Angels, Chips, and Starsky and Hutch were my favorites.

There's one dream I remember from that time.

I wanted to be a stuntman.

At least that's what I told Grandma on an old 'cassette letter' we unearthed.

I would run, jump, roll around, fake fight, and pretend I was wounded.

I would purposely fall down carpeted stairs, climb trees, take dares, and jump off stuff.

Now I'm not young or small or active.

Except in my mind.

I run my mouth off. I jump to conclusions. I roll out of bed. I fight my demons. 

I act wounded. I slide down slippery slopes. I climb into bed.

I dare to be different. I jump into new things with abandon.

Maybe the stuntman is still around in there somewhere.