Poker isn't just fun and games

"Someone" [I can't be bothered to do actual research for all my blogs] once compared life to a game of cards. You have to play with the hand you've been dealt. "Others" have expressed this fundamental reality of life in other ways. If you have lemons, make lemonade.

Okay, we get it. There is no use in being envious or jealous of other people's gifts, possessions, or situations. It is as pointless and wasteful as admitting defeat when times get tough. We will go through ups and downs. All anyone can do is to ride the waves. Blah blahbitty blah blah.

At the risk of beating this metaphor to a slow and tortured death, I would like to compare life to Texas Hold'Em [my preferred poker game at the moment]. There is more to the game [and life] than being dealt good hands and bad hands. I'm thinking specifically of times when you are dealt an absolutely fabulous hand but know that the best thing to do is to lay it down. Although it seems that I've just raised an excellent point [pat pat], alarm bells should be going off in your heads. You only lay down a good hand if you think another player has you beat. In the game of life, however, there is no other player [it appears as though the poker metaphor has some holes]. Now obviously, I haven't worked this all out yet. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this together.

Let's imagine that something in your life has the potential of working out really well. As with most things in life, however, it isn't perfect. You may not deem the circumstances as ideal and have the option to pursue it or drop it. Is it theoretically possible/sensible to lay down a good hand when you're not actually playing against anyone else? It doesn't seem wise to only pursue opportunities only when you are certian you hold the "nuts". Life will just pass you by and you will shrink and wither. However, it doesn't seem wise to pursue poor options at the risk of passing up attractive ones either.

We are now left with lots of questions and no answers. We are cursed [or blessed] to search our own ways by fumbling around in the dark and muttering unintelligible thoughts to ourselves. Life wouldn't be quite as interesting or stressful otherwise. Even though the engineer in me wants a definite answer [yes, I've already been told that I tend to overanalyze], I do understand that some answers will reveal themselves only when the time is right. For me, I suppose, now is not the right time. C'est la vie.