The clock's ticking.
But do you have the patience?
The type that outlasts needs.
Of comfort & companionship;
Of PTA and coaching;
Of intricately intimate deeds?
Are you standing by the rail waiting to jump in;
Or are you too deep into the game to cash out?
But which hand did you decide to play;
Or are you still holding out for Aces.
For that Unicorn.
You know, that mythical creature
That makes your heart flutter and your blood flow.
That brings clarity to your mental clutter.
That almost always is the winner.
We know the game.
We've been playing since we were rambunctious teens.
Exploring what life was like sans cooties.
We felt our way around the felt
Figuring out how to play the hands dealt.
Waiting for the moment to finally get Aces.
At first, patience found us.
Ending the action before the final card.
We didn't know what to do.
Though we seemed to try quite hard.
Dates were made and relationships built.
We found out not just about you, but about us.
The learning curve ascended as if it never ended.
And slowly knowledge came.
Of navigating the social scene
Of building personal bonds
Of earning respect, trust, dignity, and honor.
With minds matured, we sought our prize.
Thinking that our readiness implicitly earned us the same in another.
But when would they come?
Time passed but the action never stopped.
The game continued uninterrupted.
Understanding, appreciation, and discovery slowly crafted our decisions.
Until finally visions of the Unicorn would come into view.
And when they did
Would we be ready?
Would our chip stack be deep enough to play Aces the right way?
Not merely in money and stability;
But in character and depth?
To provide and protect?
To court the Unicorn?
Or would we be short-stacked?
Not having done enough to build our worth?
To have our mark see it to the river?
Would the hand be folded?
Tilting us to a palpitatious quiver?
Worse, might Aces never come?
Might the Unicorn exist merely in our minds?
How long do we wait?
Before we move all of our chips in on the next hand?
And not think of the rest?
I don't know what you've heard,
But I've been told patience works best.
Funny - I once read a book, which broke it down in a super mathematical way. Start by picking the optimal number of people you would be willing to date in your lifetime to find your "unicorn". Date 1/3 of that number. Then, select the next person equal to, or better than the first 1/3. Apparently, that is the "optimal" solution...but I like it much better as a poker analogy, a more zen approach if you will.
ReplyDeleteEither way, its a numbers game. The longer you hold out in settling down, the longer you have to build a solid base from which to court. I figure, 25 and struggling isn't as appealing as 30 and established. Sure, those five years might be filled with momentary lonely lapses and certain frustrations, but the result might be an even more fruitful relationship situation. Besides, the avg life-span these days is in the 70s. That still leaves a good forty years to rock it up and raise a family. So yeah, everything is a numbers game. But then again, my perspective is from the outside looking in... so who knows if there's any merit to these thoughts. I wonder though, with the divorce rate near 50% in America, is it possible that the older you are when you lock it up long-term, the more likely your marriage will be a success?
ReplyDeleteI really like the style of this post
ReplyDeleteWhat if you see but can't reach your Unicorn?
ReplyDeleteWhat's stopping you from reaching the unicorn? If its already taken, your fresh out of luck. If not, you've always got a shot. But, remember, if you're not its unicorn, things might not work out.
ReplyDelete