It's In The Cards

One of my Dad's favorite sayings was Piss Or Get Off The Pot. He hauled that one out most often when my parents and my Grandma and Grandpa Black were playing euchre together. When it was someone's move and they were hemming and hawing over which card to use, or when they were sandbagging (holding back on their power cards), inevitably Dad would scoff and say, "F'Chris'sakes, Mother... piss or get off the pot!"

It meant, rather obviously, "It's your move. Get on with it already."

Yesterday as I was mulling over a rather hefty decision, I heard my Dad's voice in my head. "Oh, f'Chris'sakes, Punkin... piss or get off the pot!" It was exactly what I needed to hear. My own indecision was gluing my feet to the floor and I needed to get unstuck fast. Right or wrong, I needed to take a step in some direction.

Indecision is a killer and I'm a master of over-pondering things. I will ruminate myself right into a cocoon. And where do cocoons go? Nowhere. Yeah yeah yeah... eventually they turn into beautiful butterflies that flit ever so gracefully in the morning sun... that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about being in a place so safe and tight that I'm oblivious to my life. Besides, some cocoons get plucked up by sticky-fingered kids and tossed in mason jars to suffocate, forgotten on a shelf.

Phantom Dad was saying, "This is your hand, these are your cards. You're going to have to play one of them. Win or lose, choose the card. Piss or get off the pot."

Cards are about taking chances while paying attention. Even the keenest card shark doesn't win every game. But no one ever won anything by walking away from the table.

Ante up. My nickel's in.