Hands

New Year's Day 2009 has arrived. But first there was New Year's Eve 2008 with its poker party. I picked up an excess of Christmas candy looking forward to this shindig (one level shy of a hootenanny in case one is unfamiliar with the social gathering classification system) where candy is the ante. Over the course of the evening some were dealt great cards. Others not so much. Some joined in the game late, others bailed out, many eventually folded, and not everyone won or lost well. There were fierce competitors, those playing for fun, a couple with no idea how to play, and a floater or three. Whatever the hands dealt, the cards were what they were. Sure, some could be plucked out and replaced with the draw. But at least one card in each hand of five remained constant. And no amount of wishing could turn a mismatched mongrel hand into a winner.
Today, a friend mentioned resiliency. And we talked of how some people can endure difficulty and bounce back. Others seem to crumple like cheap tin foil at the first sign of anything unpleasant. The conversation left me thinking of the assorted series of five card hands that were dealt last night. I folded a couple of times based on reasoning, hung in until the end to lose repeatedly, ate or gave away my ante instead of playing with it as intended, won a couple of hands accidentally (Good thing the others told me--- I would not have known!), and eventually wandered off from the table after my focus shifted.
As we enter this new year, I wonder what the days to come will reveal about how well I play the hand I have been dealt. And I hope for resiliency enough not to fold. And maybe some more chocolate.