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It was just a game of cards, for goodness’ sake
Naked Leader Week 941 – 20 September 2021
Time to read: 1 minute 45 seconds
Picture the familiar family scene – playing a card game.
Rosalind, me, our daughter Olivia and her then boyfriend, now fiancé, Glen.
Only this particular ‘card game’ is ‘Exploding Kittens’ – no animals are harmed – and if you know the game, you will know that, like many games, to win you have to drop other people in it. With this game, big time…
When the children were young, I used to let them win – sometimes – the key being they must never see me doing that, as they didn’t like it at all. Its strange that as they have grown older, they have never once let me win – when do I get my turn?!
Anyway, we are nearing the end of the game. Glen has a strong hand and plays a nasty card – ‘Attack’ on Rosalind who only has three cards in her hand, and from her expression this looks like the end for her.
She has one hope left – she has a card that allows her to ask for a card from another player, a card of that other player’s choosing i.e., she doesn’t pick it at random. So, with little hope or expectation, she plays that card, looks at me and says:
“David, may I have a card please”
I look at my hand, I have four cards that are useless to her, and if I give her one of those I am still in the game, she will be out, and I still have a chance of winning.
After a few moments hesitation I give her my only other, fifth, card.
I will never forget the look on her face when she sees the card – it is another ‘Attack’ card. She looks at me with confusion, almost as if I have made a mistake, or am an idiot!
And she plays the card, saving herself and putting me out of the game.
I share all of that for what happened next – difficult to describe:
Yes, I had done that to keep her in the game – and I was expecting to regret what I had done.
Far from it – as the game ended for me, my mind and body, and I suppose spirit, flooded with warmth and joy and happiness.
Human Beings love being kind to each other, that is not new.
Random Acts of Kindness are all around us, that is not news.
This was just a card game, for goodness’ sake, that turned into so much more than that.
With my love and best wishes to you all
David
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