Lady Luck's Game of Karma

Have you ever played cards? It could be on a friendly Saturday afternoon with a close knit group or strangers that sat down to the table for the first time together. Maybe you played with your parents on quiet nights around a table that was a bit too tall for you? Perhaps you were hiding from the world in a corner casino table hoping to get the perfect hand? Regardless of where or what game was played, there is one unifying factor; we all have had a moment of hope on the next hand dealt that we are going to win. There is a peculiar feeling on winning something that has much chance involved. Why do we feel that rush? Could it be the adrenaline pumping as we see “lady luck” finally greets all of our misery, turmoil, and troubles are recognized and we deserve a brief reprieve? The chances of “lady luck” acknowledging you is the same for you as it is for every person sitting at that table. While some hope for their dance with “lady luck” others admits exactly what is already happening and grasp the opportunity. At the same table there are those who don’t concede exactly what is already happening and are waiting for “lady lucks” arrival. So, in this example which are you?

Regardless of how you answered the example, the gambit is what needs to be noticed. In the game of life, it can be seen that we have the same approach. Most of us go into job interviews, exams, new friendships, personal relationships, etc. with a small glittering hope of control. We prep, we work, we hope, and yet we get blind sided by so many things. So, how is the result similar to the previously mentioned card game? In both situations, we are waiting for what’s about to happen based on what has happened, without acknowledging what is happening. So, why are we waiting on “lady lucks” appearance when we have an opportunity to acknowledge the current situation and be present and change it positively?

“Still one notices there is always a choice. A good player will see possibilities which a bad one does not…Even though we may not like the way the cards are shuffled, we like the game and we want to play.”


-Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

The question then is which player will you be? Choices we make can be difficult. The choice to accept that we might be the bad or good player can be even more so. When I was a younger lad, I recall sitting at the family table and playing cards with my father. The variety of games included, go fish, crazy eight’s, 21, 5 and 7 card poker, 500 rummy. No matter the game, hand over hand I lost. Occasionally, I would have brief glimmer of hope and get close, but my father would always have “lady luck” on his side. I always wondered why, but I realize now I kept looking for something to happen to change the pitfall of a situation I had gotten into. If only I could get a king or a seven or a two, then I’ll be complete. If only I get these three cards next draw. My entire strategy was to hope for something extraordinary to change my current situation. My fathers strategy was to address the current situation and make something extraordinary happen. If only I had that simple perspective adjustment, maybe I would have won more card games against my father.

Perspective is difficult to understand and even more difficult to alter. Recently I was on the phone with a mentor and close friend, someone who I even would call an older brother, and we were discussing the view of “lady luck’ or what some call Karma. I’ve always viewed Karma as “what goes around comes around” type of mentality. Although that is high-level viewpoint, my mentor proposed that Karma is similar to that mentality, but there are many facets to Karma, outside of just that view. We began to talk about being present and the implications Karma can have. To someone who has the attention span of a scurrying animal and has developed the nickname of “squirrel”, this conversation left me perplexed. So, allow me to make his dialogue plain.

When was the last time you felt present? Truly present? For me I have a few activities that allow me to tune into a singular moment and completely erase the world, the past, the future, the worries, the noise of my surroundings away. An example activity, would be playing the violin. I have played entire pieces without knowing what I was doing. The autonomous feeling of notes, music, and production occurred without me noticing it. I was completely lost in the present that I couldn’t even begin to relate the feeling into mere words. The world was silent, the noises inside my mind were quiet, the world was non-existent; just this moment was all that mattered. Now let’s look at a grocery store. Has anyone ever felt the same way among the crowd of a grocery store? The hustle and bustle of getting in and out with as little interaction is the goal. Grab what you need, nod politely to anyone you may perchance interact with and get back to the car to continue on with your day. However, what if we slowed those interactions down. Would we notice the mother with two children fighting over the cart as she struggles to bag her produce? What about the couple trying to decide on the salad dressing they plan on making for their first meal made together, awkwardly agree with each other not wanting to truly voice their opinion, until the inevitable compromise is made as they smile at each other. How about the gentleman in his suit looking for the case of water, because he is going to be in a hotel all week and is looking at the weeks venture with anxiety? Or the widower trying to choose which tv dinner to make, because he is now cooking for one? Do we slow down our life to recognize the present around us and where we are? Or are we grabbing produce bags to grab our avocados and leave? I bet we have all said this phrase before, “the grocery store was packed today.” However, do we realize what’s happening?

I once was in an interview for a position that I thought I had in the bag. I had met with upper leadership and they were friendly, bantered about activities they enjoyed, family life, and we still had a clear understanding of the role and what was happening. I recall vividly sitting with the Director of Operations and thinking we have great rapport and he clearly sees the value I bring to the table; I’m walking out of here with the job. As the Director smiled at me, he mentioned I had one last interview with the Senior Vice President to sign off on my onboarding and had a couple of questions for me. The Director muttered in a low breathe that the SVP was a good guy and he said he was from Texas, smiled, and lead me into his office. I took one look around the office and all I saw was Texas memorabilia, everywhere. On the walls, the desk, the windows, even the chairs had the Texas state flag as a cover. I smiled and began my rapport building. Our conversation lasted about 15minutes. He stares blankly at me when I asked him about Texas. To break the tension, I tell him about a wedding I had ventured down to be apart of and how the towns I visited were picturesque. I received a continuous glare. I thought to myself, well maybe, just focus on the task at hand and ask about the needs of their business. In a few short sentences he mentioned to me everything I needed to know about the role and responsibilities. As I began to relay some of my past experience there was a knock at the door saying they had a meeting. I was asked politely to be excused and was ushered out from the office. I remember being in my car thinking what just happened? I was driving home when I got a call from the Director stating that they decided to go in another direction and thanked me for my time.

In this scenario I was at the grocery store. I was playing cards hoping for an outcome rather than realizing what was happening. The SVP wanted to see if I was a good fit for the role and I gave him a story about a wedding. I rushed down the aisle of the frozen food section and bumped into the widower thinking it was his fault for standing there. I saw my dad winning and walking away from the table, “lady luck” on his side. Karma is many things and in this case and I had no idea.

After a call with my mentor, he asked me questions and kept asking until I realized what had happened in that interview. The hope I had entering the office, didn’t prepare me for the presence of those 15minutes with the SVP. Maybe, just maybe, if I dialed in my present, didn’t look at the future nor focused on the past, I would have seen it. Glaring me in the face. How often do we have Karma glare at us in the face? How often must we experience the sinking feeling of hope, before we admit we are playing the game? This is only one faction of Karma, I plan to uncover much more in the upcoming chapters.