Monday December 05, 2011, 4:01 am - 4:46 am

I don't mind acknowledging that I have issues; and I don't expect everyone to understand or accept them. I mean, everyone has issues right, if mine affect you in a negative way, then that's up to you how you deal with that. I gave up along time ago believing that there will be people out there who I can relate to in depth. Sure, there are aspects of everyone's life that are common, and easily relatable. And I'm sure there are some unlucky people who have lived similar lives to my own. I just haven't met any. Everyone is unique, and it's not their experiences that make them so. Experiences are common and often repeat; but like a shuffled deck of cards, you will rarely see the same deck twice; and life has more than 52 cards. So for every ace you see, there is also a choice made of how to play it: as a 1 or as an Ace. Neither is negative. It depends on the hand you're dealt. But for every Ace that works out, there are dozens more that fail. Life is built in runs. You have to play the odds. Assuming you've got a grasp on the game and know the number of cards in your deck. After all, you can only play your hand, and not all the cards are available to all the players; if they were, all our aces would fail. I play a lot of cards (if you hadn't guessed) and one lesson that took me a while to learn is not to hold out for the best hand. Some one else's luck may be closer in line than yours is, and you may well go bust believing you were entitled to what they now have; and now that you've risked and lost everything on that sure thing, you no longer have a seat at the table, and all the luck in the world won't make a bit of difference. On that humble road back to the ATM, you might do yourself the favor to remember that risk is part of the game, while absolutes are not. You may even build up the courage to play a few hands that aren't as strong as Aces, but are easier to get away from, and not commit yourself to. It's usually that less than sure thing that works out to be the most productive. I've always held out for the "sure" things in life, never risking much on those things I couldn't project the prospects of. There's no better way to squander your time than by planning it; And there's no worse way to lose what you have than while taking it for granted.