Seesaw

When I got home from work yesterday from what was perhaps the worst working day of my 15+ year professional career, I told myself I'd leave the work problems at work. I didn't quite succeed in my efforts as within 5 minutes of arriving home, I was snapping at the family. It is without a doubt my single most hated self-trait - lack of patience. I was dealing with people and personalities at work that for whatever reason, can't or won't listen to me. I had a short fuse and the behavior of the kids when I got home burned whatever was left of it.

So when I left the house to go play in my semi-weekly home game, I figured my mindset was one of the ingredients in a recipe for failure. Upon arriving at the Rankster's house, I made a beeline for the brew. Anything to take my mind off the fiasco that I was involved in earlier that day was welcome.

As everyone arrived and began to play, the feel of the cards and the chips washed away the memories of the work day and I began to relax. Once I could relax, I could concentrate. What followed next over the course of the evening was quite unprecedented. I won. And not a little. In fact, for Thursday night dealer's choice limit poker, I managed to pull in a profit of $317.

Far and above my own personal best, the post-play conversation debated whether this was an all-time record or not. There were recollections of another +$300 day attributed to The Rocket, but the exact number was still a mystery.

Regardless, I couldn't help but feel that I would trade all that poker success for the ability to take back my behavior towards the mini-Blood's earlier in the evening. I went home and woke the kids to tell them that their daddy was sorry for yelling at them. The best thing about kids is their unconditional ability to forgive and forget. Sometimes I don't feel worthy of their forgiveness, but I'm so thankful to receive it.