For the Good

There are rules in life. For example: there are rules to playing UNO, which my daughter has gotten really into lately, and is apparently more age-appropriate for five-year olds than blackjack. However, I don't like her rules, because the outcome has been...wrong lately. So I wrote up five amendments to the game. So we can all have more fun playing. For the good of the game. For the good of us all.

1. It's just a game. When I win, we will record it for history, and it will be a wonderful dinner table topic. In the unlikely chance that I ever lose again, we will treat it as an aberration and never speak of it. We'll all be happier that way.

2. There will be no cheating, but I might change the rules as we're playing if it helps liven up a dull game. It's for the best.

3. If you have a good card, then you may use it aggressively against the next player, if I am not the next player. Someday it will make sense.

4. I am your father. If I need to see all the cards you are holding, then you need to trust that I know best. For the good of the game.

5. If you see my cards, or if I think there is a chance that you might have seen my cards, then I have the right to swap them out for different cards. For the good of the game. For the good of us all.

So we played again, and I don't remember who won, but I remember thinking that really, it's just a game and it doesn't matter who wins. It's just a game. A game of chance.

A stupid game.