5.15.23 // The Cards

The cards.
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When we arrive on this big beautiful planet we are given a hand of cards.
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These cards are unique to us. Some cards are given based on our circumstances, some are given based on genetics and the generations that came before, and some are given based simply on the luck or misfortune of the draw.
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But one universal truth about these cards is that you can't play someone else's, hand no matter how much you want to or try to. You can only play the cards in your hand.
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But that is the damn strength and power you possess. YOUR hand is YOURS and yours alone. No one else can play your hand either.
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And while landing a perfect hand is wonderful in some respects, the real beauty is not the cards you hold but how you decide to play them. Each moment that passes and each choice to move through this world is a reflection of how you decide to navigate the cards of life.
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I used to think that with enough work or determination, I could have someone else's hand. I thought I could somehow trade in, trade up, or trade out what wasn't working for me. But what a disservice I was doing to myself, to see my cards as something to trade or throw away. It would be easier that way, rather than learning to play my own hand, to learn about myself, to practice what I needed.
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So now, I play the hand I was dealt - sometimes I play it timidly, sometimes I play it brilliantly, sometimes I play it creatively, and sometimes I completely mess up and play it wrong. But I play my hand nevertheless, knowing the strength ​I have is that the cards ​I have are mine.