Rock, Paper, Scissors

I sometimes have trouble making decisions. Oh, not the ones that mean anything to me - those I can usually discern what to do and go about doing it. I mean decisions like should I choose A or B when I don't care whether I end up with A or B. For instance, when I was working on a project in Virginia a coworker and I had to divide the work load and often two tasks were equally tedious or cumbersome. I didn't have a preference, as I said I viewed them as equal, but he refused to vocalize his preference. So, we resorted to the best form of decision making I know - Rock, Paper, Scissors. Eventually we used it when we did have preferences so a reprieve from a horrid task would be fairly won. We'd play Rock, Paper, Scissors for everything. Who would call a pain in the tail subcontractor, who would do a spreadsheet, and who would get to choose where we'd eat lunch. I hadn't played RPS so much since I was a child. But it made each task fun. It made choosing between equally boring items a game. I have since had to resort to the poor man's RPS - flipping a coin - in making some decisions lately.

It's not the same but flipping a coin is a fair substitute. In trying to make mundane decisions I sometimes get stuck in the analysis of the choices. I try so hard to discern the pros and cons of each and the differences amongst them that when they appear too close to call I am left wondering what to do. One thing I do know is that not deciding is still deciding. You are just deciding to leave things as they are - for better or worse. Sometimes that works, other times it does not. I can't after all do neither A or B - I have to actually pick one even if I can't see the difference between them. I usually assign A to Heads and B to Tails. Then send the quarter into the air and see what happens. If when I see the result I have qualms about the outcome then I know I really do have a preference between A and B. Either way the mundane decision is easy. However, the fun, and the thrill, of a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors is much greater than the outcome of the mundane decision. That is why flipping a coin will never compare.

In Rock, Paper, Scissors another person is there and they have the power to override my sudden preference realization. Actually, if I vocalize that I have a preference I am opening myself up to ridicule if I am the loser. In my childhood, my siblings would have said things like, "I won fair and square" and now, most adults haven't outgrown that inclination no matter what their age. It is that human interaction, the simplest of games - played for usually the merest of prizes - that makes Rock, Paper, Scissors so special.

I came across this today and answered the questions. It made me nostalgic. For days of my childhood and times with my siblings. For days in the mountains of Virginia on the best project I've ever worked. But mostly for days filled with laughter and play and friendly faces. Even if I did sometimes get smothered.

You Are Rock

Powerful and overbearing, you intimidate people with your presence. People know they can't push you around, and they respect that. Deep down, you are calm, confident, and unmovable. You take everything pretty seriously, and you think deeply about all aspects of your life. You tend to feel smothered by paper people. You don't mind crushing the spirit of a scissors person. When you fight, you: Use all of your strength If someone makes you mad: You're likely to throw something at them

Are You Rock, Paper, or Scissors?