Jumanji

African drum beats pulse through my mind, boom-boom ba boom-ka boom. The steady heckle of monkeys echo through the thick foggy jungle. Strange creatures peer toward me through densely packed banana leaves and hanging vines. No this is not a scene from Indiana Jones or some Michael Bay action film; this is me in the dating world.

I have recently concluded that dating is like the game Jumanji. Most of you will recall the 1990’s movie featuring Robin Williams and a young Kirsten Dunst. When I was first read the book as a fourth grader I had no idea this story would grow to become an analogy for dating in my older years.

In the book Jumanji, two kids play a game they found in the park while their parents are away. The excitement to play the new game quickly wears off when the two kids realize the implications of this magical find. Suddenly a lion is on the piano, a python is on the mantle, monkeys are in the kitchen, and a roaring stampede is rushing through their home. The children are shocked and frightened by these experiences but they must continue to roll the dice and play the game in order to get out.

Dating is just like Jumanji in that in order to get out of the game you must play the game. In the movie you may recall the Robin Williams’ character is trapped in the jungle for 30 years. He stopped playing the game, he couldn’t roll the dice and keep progressing. Instead of always being scared of getting hurt or worried that this guy won’t be good enough you have to keep playing. Sure you endure some crazy monkeys and may even begin to turn into a monkey but you must keep rolling. Of course you will get hurt on the way, some creatures bite, but all in all it is part of a wonderful adventure, possibly one of the most worthwhile pursuits of our lives.

So friends keep playing the game or you will never get out of the game. Once this game ends you have a whole new game ahead of you called Mall Maddness, wrong game, but you get the point. And finally do your best to have fun in the process, because everyday there is joy to be captured in this wild dating jungle!