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IV. The Game of Life

Board Game

I trace the edge of the white spinner juxtaposed against the
vibrant green of the background on the board. Numbered one
to ten with corresponding colors of the rainbow. Sinuous lines
harbor the untold future of the players who have yet to play it.

I have lived my whole life more than five times. A different
outcome with each lifespan.

College or career. Married or not. One child or two or none. A
mansion or a shack. A millionaire sometimes. The paths of life
riddled with risk and chance. But the ultimate end goal: to be
the richest.

In the beginning, my friends and I abided by all the rules.
Alternating between attending college and starting our career
immediately. Paying debt. Buying houses. Losing turns.
Paralyzed amid the organized chaos known as life. Following
the cards’ instructions. We lived life within the confines of the
game.

As we grew tired of living the least extravagant lives because
of the game’s restrictions, we started to break the rules.

Skipping college, we would often jump to our careers. Our
lives were no longer subjected to the chance of the game.
Instead, we sifted through the cards picking and choosing
what we wanted to have or wanted to be. The largest house,
the coolest job, the most money. Superstar. Ignoring debt and
the realities of life. Only the luxuries. Happiness.

Playing the game with our own rules. Living our lives to our
own design.

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