"When I consider life, it is all a cheat. Yet fooled with hope, people favor this deceit." ~John Dryden
I like to cheat when playing games. I cheat to help other people. Strange? Enjoyable! In Phase 10 and Skip-bo, I especially enjoy it. Recently while enjoying a game of Skip-bo with MFK (My Friend Katie) and Jeremiah, cheating for others jumped from merely an action in games to a principle for my life.
I hadn't realized that the cards in my hand would help MFK place hers (for anyone who is not a Skip-bo fan, basic game play can be Googled). It was too late; it was already Jeremiah's turn. But that didn't stop me - ba BAM! MFK was set up perfectly.
Even if anyone tells you different, my motivation had been to help her. The convenient result? Her cards were setting up mine.
Next round...Jeremiah hadn't won yet, though MFK and I had. Logically, it was his turn to win. If you factor in the time of night and the adventures of the day, giggling like crazy and always out of turn, MFK and I used our cards to give him an opportunity to win.
Our motivation was to give Jeremiah a win. The convenient result? This became the most memorable game of Skip-bo in my life.
So I like to cheat when playing games. I also like to "cheat" in real life by helping others succeed.
From these two examples, there are life lessons to draw. Often, when we help others - family, friends, neighbors, strangers, children, etc - we are setting ourselves up to be helped.
- Anytime I've cleaned in a spirit of service, for instance, I've been set up to receive blessings from those actions: finding something lost, feeling accomplished, smiles from those I love...
- Anytime I've listened to another person in their time of need, I've received the answers I needed in my own life as well as a feeling of increased trust in that relationship...
- Anytime I try to make another happy, I find happiness in my life.
