Wow it's been a crazy few months!
I know that a lot of my fellow
poker players loathe the idea of being stuck in an expensive desert all
summer. This year I was craving not only some distance from the issues
at home, but also I couldn't wait to play cards again!!!
In the
months leading up to WSOP, I had a lot going on with my family. It was
very stressful on me, and required that I take time away from playing so
to help tend to the issues at home. The end of Bay101 Shooting
Stars(March) marked the last time I'd played cards. It wasn't until WSOP
that I was able to find a valid reason to leave home to go do work! I
was thankful. I really do love working. I love playing. I love
interacting with people. I missed so much of it in my time at home. My
days were spent tending to my elderly grandmother in her residence, and
handling other issues that seemed to arise each day. Thankfully, her
in-home caretaker is amazing and was able to tend to her continued care
while I went to Vegas to play. I was sooo ready and amped to play, see
my friends again, mix and mingle!
The summer started off ok. I
still had a lot of family issues haunting me across phone lines
stretching the span of the country. I was still running deep in events,
and was able to stay focused. Some days, I'd receive a frantic phone
call from a relative back at home, and I still found myself able to play
well. Even more importantly, I was able to keep up with thinking
positively! Each day at the tables, regardless of what was on my plate
elsewhere, I found myself at peace... even happy. I'd reflect upon my
own moments of candid laughter with my tablemates... and it gave me a
sense of internalized self-pride...to know that I was able to smile,
thoroughly enjoy life experiences and the people around me... despite
all the noise in my personal on-goings. You know those moments when you
pat yourself on the back for handling a situation better than you may
have in the past... well, I was thankful to have had an experience that
challenged me to grow and I'm thankful that I found it in myself to be a
better "me" than I may have ever been before.
