My family and I love to play Euchre when we’re together. It’s a Scandinavian, four-player card game played in teams. Without getting into the details of gameplay, at the beginning of the game players have an opportunity, in turn, to decide the suit for that round (usually called Trump but my family has rechristened it to “Ruth” in honor of RBG).
You have an advantage if you call it, but you’re declaring that you can win that round. If you call it and don’t win that round you lose more points. It involves some strategy and deciding on when to rely on your partner without knowing their cards. But if you wait until you’re completely confident you can win — you have all the cards you need — you might be waiting the whole game and give the other team an advantage.
Earlier this week I found myself in the latter position, waiting until I had the right hand. Waiting for confidence that wasn’t showing up in the cards. And my team kept losing. The lesson, as my dad reminded me afterward, is that sometimes you just have to go for it.
Do you see this tidy life metaphor? Waiting for the perfect circumstances is often a thankless endeavor. The stars rarely align just so and you could end up watching opportunities pass you by. Sometimes you just have to go for it. Make a move. Call the suit. Take the chance. Bet on others to help you along the way. You may get bumped or you may win, but either way you’ve taken the inherent advantage of action over staying still.
P.S. Here’s how to play Euchre
With Love,
Natalie