Playing the Field

So last night as I lay in bed, trying to find anything to watch in lieu of the summer programming hiatus, and of course came about my TBS standby - Sex in the City. I know. Big surprise. What can I say. I'm obsessed and I have no life.

I digress.

Carrie's article and meme of the show this week was something that is actually quite relevant to me right now - and well, has been relevant for quite sometime. The subject of the episode was:

Do you have to play games to make a relationship work?

Well, I would say heck yes you do...

See, I'm sort of an expert in the area of playing games these days. Infact, I've become quite good at playing the game. Don't get me wrong. I hate it and I hate me for it. But I'm playing. Right now at this very moment.

Sometimes I wonder if the games are really any different outside of the single girl world - you know that mostly really scary place called commitment or marriage? Don't you really still play games when you are with someone in a steady relationship as much as you do when you are out there waiting for Mr. Right? You still try to manipulate situations in your favor. You still do something so he'll do something you want him to. I know. I've been there. Done that.

Maybe it's all a game we've just got to learn how to play.

It's like there is an imaginary field with lines that can and cannot be crossed. In the game the outcome is the same as in any other. There are winners and there are losers. We are just constantly trying to get to the end so that we can go off and celebrate, or sulk away in defeat. Sometimes the player gets closer to the win by going the extra distance. Sometimes the perception is that the distance travelled is much too far and must be called back. For overstepping the boundary you get a time out. Sometimes you get to get back into the game when enough time has passed. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much time has passed, you still aren't allowed back in. Sometimes you have to break the rules of the game to continue play. And sometimes you have to take it slow so that the game is not played too fast. Ocassionally, other players step in and change the game up so not to make it boring. Sometimes everyone wants to be the coach.

And then, sometimes, you have to play the game the only way you know how...with your head held high and with a smile on your face. Confident that no matter what the outcome, you played with all you had, you never looked back and you have no regrets.

That's the game I came to play.

You Are Most Like Carrie!

You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date. But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal? It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky. Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what! Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year... Totally different from any guy you've dated.

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?