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Sun and clouds mixed. High near 90F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph..

Clear skies. Low 69F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

When we’re out and about my kids always want to play the game where you put your money into the machine, then use a joystick and a robotic arm to try and retrieve prizes out of a big glass/plexiglass box.

We were in Branson recently, and one of my kids wanted to play the claw so badly that I almost caved in and allowed it. No, I thought, this is a teachable moment.

I explained to him the value of a dollar, the importance of investing our money wisely, and buying things of value.

Well, actually, I just fired back a sarcastic, ‘I would rather throw these quarters into a storm drain outside than waste them on that thing.’ Which was true, but I shouldn’t have said it.

My kids are used to my sarcasm, and no feelings were hurt, but in the moments since I have returned to thinking about the situation. Isn’t it a shame that we have to remind ourselves to think the way we did as kids? Who would have believed I would get so old and cynical that I would forget how fun it is to operate that claw?

And wait a minute…I know what it’s like to play the claw game. That’s evidence, isn’t it? Evidence that someone less grumpy than my middle-aged self allowed me to play the game. Uh-oh. Now I’m not merely a grouch – I’m also a hypocrite.

Now I am not saying that from an economic point of view that I am wrong: when you put money into a machine that offers you a chance to get an item of value that equals the value of your initial investment – you made a bad deal. It’s the definition of gambling: you invest 100 percent in hopes of making back 1,000 percent. You’ll play ten times, pony up for 10 chances…to make your money back. The house always wins.

But from the perspective of experience, from the thrill a kid gets at the chance to win a plastic ball or a stuffed giraffe, it’s not much to pay for the smile you get. I get it’s kind of a game of skill, right? It’s not like a blackjack hand or a spin of the roulette wheel: a better claw operator can conceivably win more of the time than a less skilled controller.

These thoughts and more occurred to me during our short vacation experience. As rumors of rising inflation and the potential for gas to exceed $6.00 loomed in my mind, I wondered if we’d be taking any more trips like that for a while. I hope so: I enjoy traveling once in a while, and although I’m not that guy who likes (or needs) to travel everywhere, a fun trip with the family on occasion hits the spot.

Anyway, the thought occurred to me that a vacation can be like that mechanical claw: you pay your money and hope you have a great time. During this recent trip, I stood in the middle of Silver Dollar City while a severe thunderstorm rolled through, dumping rain faster than the asphalt park could redirect it. You buy your ticket, and what happens happens.

Does that mean life is just a big gamble? Only if you spend the money, I guess.

Then you get home, look the place over, shake your head at how much grass can grow in a few days and return to life as normal. Life is expensive, but the day-to-day bills seem less frustrating than paying for two or three meals a day at a tourist trap.

But we will go on vacation again someday if we’re able. Sometimes I can’t help myself; I have to gamble and play that claw. What can I say? Fun can be expensive at times.

When it’s over, though, and I’m back home sitting on my own sofa and sleeping in my own bed, I feel pretty content.

Matt Pearl owns and operates newspapers in King City, Albany and Grant City.

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