playing poker

"He had the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces" 

Mark Twain

Last night I spent an awesome evening playing poker with a few friends around a well crafted table, using well crafted chips and cards, discussing the differences between well crafted drinks, listening to well crafted music and creating "smack talking" banter with well crafted words. 

There is something so tangibly masculine about a poker night. It relaxes the muscles, replaces the tension of life with the tension of friendly competition, it pits a man against other serious men, with something at stake that we can all safely lose, while it remains something worth enough that it creates the tactile sensation of gambling for something worth winning.

I confess that I too rarely take the time to stop and play games with other men, even though it is true that playing rejuvenates me and reminds me what it means to be a man at ease. 

I woke up this morning with less than 6 hours sleep to have a serious conversation with two serious men about a serious topic and I found despite the tiredness of sleep deprivation I was deeply rested in my soul by having spent five hours playing with men who are incredibly worthy of my admiration. 

You can't lose when the stake is resting in being yourself.

I played poker last night? What did you play?