This game called ‘life’

“Remember when Great Aunt used to take us to the night market after school, and wait for Mum to pick us up? We would always try our luck on pinball.”

Strolling down Shilin Night Market, my sister and I share an small umbrella, just like we used to share the mundane tales in primary school. It has been a while since we last came to the night market together. As she is returning to Sydney in a couple of days, revisiting a place that reminds us of our childhood seem worthwhile.

The ticking sounds of marble bouncing off rows of metal pins, the lights that turn red once the ball repeats its way down the tunnel, the encouragements from the vendor who is in awe of our luck, a game of pinball brought me back to a time preserved somewhere inconspicuous at the back of my mind.

Having been raised in Taiwan, being independent and making decisions for ourselves were probably not seen as the priorities of our preadolescence years. A safety patrol would stand at each crossing, getting good grades in school and proceeding to the next academic level successfully were the green light signals; too much fuss about ‘being different’ was stopped before the first step was taken.

Years later, when we finally do have the opportunity to set our own goals for the future, being hesitant before an intersection of our career paths, may be a queasy feeling we are quite familiar with.

Whilst the ability to make decisions grant us the pleasure of being in control, the anxieties we endure before shooting at the stars, are in fact no less than a child shooting off the marbles. Watching intently as the actions we took zigzag down their paths, we are also boxed in this point-scoring game, in which luck is of no less importance than techniques and strategies.

Like pinball, there are elements we are unable to control in this game called ‘life’. So hey, instead of solely focusing on the results, how about we try enjoying the process for a change, eh?