Fate is like invisible cards that are distributed to us.... 

When I was a kid, besides several traditional games, I sometimes played cards with my playmates. (I hope I know the name but am still clueless even after trying to search it on Google. Hihi. Also, don’t get it wrong. No money, bet, or punishment was involved. It was purely a game for fun.)

Since I don’t know what it’s called, I’ll explain the rule so you can imagine it. (Someone who knows the name please let me know. Hehe). The cards are shuffled then 5 up to 8 of them are given out equally to each player, leaving the undistributed ones as a deck. Following right after, the paper on the top of the deck is revealed. Each player has to put a card which matches that particular card’s suit. Subsequently, the one with the highest card decides the suit for the next round. If a player doesn’t have a similar suit to the one which is being presented, that person needs to take the cards in the deck until he/she finds it. The one who finishes their cards first wins and the last one to do it loses the game.

When I was a child, never I had any thoughts, expectations, or anticipation about the cards being shuffled. It was just a game so whatever I got, I would still be excited about it (only slightly was disengaged when I got low cards. Nevertheless I enjoyed it). Now if I have to play it again, maybe I will wonder which cards would be played by me and what wouldn’t be in my hands. I wonder if the cards would vary significantly for each player and there is no favorite card in mine. I am also curious if favorable cards are handed to me instead. Moreover, what if I got no spade or diamond or heart or clover among them?

Now when I think about it, it resembles life in many ways. Forrest Gump (1994) has popularized “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.” and for me, instead of a box of chocolates, I would like to put the cards as a metaphor. The major difference is that our cards are shown before we begin the game, thus planning is greatly possible. On contrary, the cards are unveiled gradually one by one in life. Furthermore, compared to the cards in the game in which we know the precise meaning, in life sometimes we are oblivious of the denotation even after it is disclosed.

Fate is like the cards that are being distributed to us. We equally get a life yet the cards vary. We simply don’t know what cards would be handed to and played by us. We can’t withdraw from the game just because we think the cards aren’t on our side. We also can’t automatically win just because we have the cards that are beneficial for us. When interacting with other players, we realize that it’s not just ours that matters but also other people’s cards. And above everything, some things are out of our control like the suit that would be uncovered by the player with the highest card. Nevertheless, we still follow the game and try to gain control over it. Life also acts in that sense. Several things are within our control while the others are beyond it. Still, there is a space where we are in the driving seat.

If I may add one more lesson I learned from the card game is that everyone has a different set of cards. Consequently, the way we play the game would be different--our strategies are personalized and our stories are unique. Thus, there is no point in comparing our life with others. 

However, what resonates the most with me recently is, that in the game, we can always put an effort to find the card we don’t have. We could always attempt to search for the missing piece in life. It might take a long time. It might make us unable to finish the game early, but there is always a probability of winning or at least not being the ultimate defeated.

Presently, when I have to take a longer route than the normal one, I will remind myself of how often I didn’t lose the game even when I didn’t have a certain suit in my cards then needed to take a lot of them from the deck. While finishing all the cards cost me ages and I might be left behind anyone who can spend theirs earlier, I had the courage, patience, and confidence to continue the game. Rarely did I lose back then when I was a kid and I believe that I would not lose too in life.

Because until the game is finished, I never knew how it would be ended. So do with life, I want to have the same courage about my cards. I want to trust my journey like that little girl back then who has confidence in the cards in her hands. Win or lose, she still smiled genuinely and continue the game. In life, I want to face "the cards" with a similar frame of mind.  Would you too?

Love, 

iim

---------

Courage, patience, and confidence—how I wish I could have those words plastered all over the place so I will always remember them. 

----------

image credit: istockphoto.com via mentalfloss.com