There was a time, long ago, when the sale of video games made my eyes lit up. My whole body would get into a giddy frenzy, and my mind just scrolled through the many game options I would have when I made my purchase. It was so easy back then, when I was single, childless, and without a care in the world. All that mattered to me is that my game collection would grow more, and I'll have more options of games to play.
Now? I'm married, paying my own mortgage, and raising a little one, and time to myself has all but escaped me, reserved to meager mornings, commute times, and whatever time I could squeeze to myself in the evening. But this statement bears no malice, just introspective. Now my time is not expendable; it's a commodity that I spend every day reluctantly, and adequately curse at when I spend it unwisely. And it's been affecting my choices lately.
Which brings us back to this current sale at Target, a "buy 2 get 1 free" on ALL video games. So naturally I went to see my potential options. But all I saw were games that I would never fully enjoy.
It's painful when you're strict with yourself, as any dieter can attest to. Walking around the aisles, seeing a lot of "tasty morsels" but chastising yourself for even thinking about one of them. I paced by the same games over and over, thinking of every possible scenario in which I could find time to play each game. I went from my "hah, good luck finding TV time for your console games" phase, all the way down to the "maybe if I switch up my games during the commute on my 3DS" phase...back and forth until finally I decided. To walk away.
As I walked away, I told my wife, GameritisGal, my mental dilemma, and she sympathized. Knowing full well how my habit has dwindled in recent years, she lent the helpful ear, and even gave some viable suggestions in increasing my time to indulge. But after all the discussions, we slowly walked further away from the sale. The urge had nearly dissipated, and rational thinking stepped in. I would be forced to buy three games at once. Even if I had 3 games in mind, there's a likely chance that most (if not all) of them will meet a dusty shelf life of at least another 2 months before I finally sit down and can actually play them. To me, the purchase meant more to me than just adding more games to my playlist; it meant more time to manage to play them.
And as I tilt the stroller to look at my daughter smiling back at me, my eyes lit up, and I smiled back.
This was my "buy two, get one free"...and what a bargain it is.
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