Games People Play

     My 84-year-old father only stays in hotels with free parking and free breakfast. He was telling me recently that he is going to Sonoma soon for a medical conference (more on that...) and said he couldn't find a single decent hotel in Sonoma. What?! Sonoma is adorable,  with plenty of quaint places to stay. The conference is several days long, presumably at a hotel. This is when he revealed his steadfast, unmoving criteria -- free parking, free breakfast. So he has come up with a great solution: he's going to stay at a Best Western in Napa, and make the 25 minute drive (are you sure about that, Dad?) each morning and afternoon to and from Sonoma. Now, I have nothing against Best Western or any motels in that class. But let me explain a little something about my Dad. He could buy a Best Western. He was in a partnership that owned a Comfort Inn. He's not choosing the free parking and free breakfast because he has to. 

When I gently chided him, and pointed out that he might be missing out on certain pleasures on his trip by being stuck on his freebies, he sheepishly admitted, "it's a game for me."

It's a game.

But who else is playing? Is he winning? Or is there a loser driving from Napa to Sonoma every day? Did he calculate the gas money, the time wasted, the frustration of sitting in traffic? Some of the worst traffic I can remember was wine country traffic -- specifically Napa, not Sonoma.

At 84-years-old, you might be wondering, does this man really still practice medicine, see patients? No, he does not. Is this medical conference a business necessity? No, it is not. He still keeps his medical license and can do basic workups for his old partners in a pinch. He had no hobbies when he was younger, and cultivated none when he retired. This is all he has. He travels; he chooses his destinations based on where a medical conference is. The trip is tax-deductible -- another game he plays.

He's not the only one. Most of us play games; we just don't haven't called it that. What is your game?

• The headache or the "cold" you have every Sunday and Monday is "stress," "allergies," "not enough sleep." It couldn't be from all the booze you drink every weekend.
• You convince yourself that any food from the upscale, expensive (really expensive) grocery store is healthy -- even the processed, prepared food; when in your heart you know that a bag of rice and fresh veggies, or a jar of peanut butter and fresh fruit would be much cheaper and not much harder to prepare.
• You justify media devices at the dinner table -- it's for work, work pays the bills, buys the groceries -- so it's important, and therefore OK.

What's your game? Is someone winning? Is anyone losing?