Do you want to simulate this game?

Currently Listening to: Martin by Zac Brown Band

I need to make a confession. It impacts not just how I spend my time but how I am parenting my son. I love video games. Yeah, I know. This colossal waste of time where nothing good can ever happen and this area of my life that takes tons of money is one of my vices. Not only do I like it, I have hooked my son on it as well.

Go ahead, judge me. I blame Mario, Link, Icarus and the people at Nintendo. I'm working on a class action suit right now that would allow me to retire to the Bahamas and put my kids through 4 years of school at Oregon.

If you will indulge me, let me tell you what Carter and I love to do more than anything. We pop in Madden and rather than play the games, we simulate them. We pick some team (99% of the time the Colts) and begin to simulate the games. We love the off-season where we run the draft, sign free agents and Carter's favorite part is working trades. Early indications are that he's either going to work on Wall Street or run a pawn shop. Both are good.

We simulate for say 6 or 7 years and see if we can build a dynasty. Usually we win at least one Super Bowl but every once in a while we fail worse than the Cubs. Every once in a while we don't have a winning season, our budget gets all jacked like Enron and end up relieved of our duties.

But here's the beauty of doing that on a video game. We just start over. Plus, since we've done it so many times, we know the way the stystem works. We know how to make unfair trades, we know the free agents the computer loves and we know what guys on the Colts roster are as useful as a spork.

Why am I babbling about video games? Follow me for a second.

Because in life there is no simulation button. Once we choose a path, we live those consequences. There is no reset button where we can turn the system off without saving it. Sure, there are second chances and there are grace, man am I happy about that. But there are also moments where we stand like Robert Frost at a fork in the road and only get to choose one direction.

And there is no chance for us to come back and choose a different adventure. There is no keeping your finger on that page while you turn ahead and see if the adventure you picked turns out well. Once you flip the page, you've determined that move for good.

That being said, I think each day is like this. We only get it once and what we do with it needs to matter. Take that how you want. Redeeming your day is not for me to decide. But in a society who loves do-overs, here's to making the right choice the first time. Here's to making the most of the decisions we've already made. And here's to one last attempt at making the Cleveland Browns a viable football team on Madden.

Thanks to God's Economy by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove for inspiring this post.