Longshot

Everything's a little swirly in my little corner of the universe these days. A feeling of slight unsettlement that is, surprisingly, not unpleasent.

I like to write in cryptic riddles.

I am not a "Type A" personality. I avoid confrontation whenever possible and have happily spent a life largely devoid of assertiveness. You may find these personality traits to be incongruous to an interest in poker, as passivity is rarely rewarded on the felt. And you'd be right, but there is a crucial diference.

Poker is a competition. In competition, I am fierce. The thing is, I've never viewed life as a competition. The corporate ladder has never been a destination. I rarely even think about it. While I have managed to pull myself solidly to the middle, it was never because of an intense drive to conquer the workplace. My promotions have been based entirely on my work, in which I've always taken pride, for myself, for my own satisfaction, rather than with an eye toward where it would get me.

Which brings me now to the fork in the road.

One trait I have always possessed is will. The times in my life when I have really wanted something, really NEEDED something, I have bent to the task with single-minded purpose. I have summoned, briefly, that assertiveness I usually lack.

And so I am compelled to do so again, not by outside forces, but by a rare inner drive. I'm jamming my foot into the closing door. I might come out of it with a fractured shin--and psyche--but I will not let the latch catch while I stand idly by, even if the morning line odds put me north of 20-1.

Because I have tapped an ambition, the very thought of which sends my head spinning and my dreams careening out of control. Most importantly, because I do not fear failing. Far more alarming is not doing anything as fortune whistles by.

Wish me luck.