Gambler!

Life, as many can attest to, is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep! How true that is. There is a saying in my mother-tongue that is often told to teenagers whose hormones often run wild and overwhelm them, which goes, "Kuleni, mgaone!" (Loosely translated to "You will get to see the unfolding mysteries that life has, once you grow up!") And it is at this point, that you are advised to learn from the mistakes you have made to emerge a stronger and wiser person. It is good to enjoy yourself, coz no one can take that away from you. But! Be careful, because, when you jump for joy, beware that no one moves the ground from beneath your feet!

True to their word, once you grow up and eventually face the world head-on as an independent young adult, you get to see and experience the may faces that life has to offer. I think Kenny Rodgers' Gambler song says it best!

"On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere, I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep. So we took turns at staring out the window at the darkness, 'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son I've made my life out of reading people's faces, And knowing what their cards were, by the way they held their eyes. So if you don't mind my saying, I can see you're out of aces. For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle and he drank my last swallow. Then he bummed a cigarette and asked for a light. And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression. Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done!

Every gambler knows that the secret to surviving, is knowing what to throw away and what to keep. 'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser, And the best that you can hope for, is to die in your sleep!"

When he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window, crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep. And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even. But in his final words, I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when sittin' at tyhe table. There'll be time enough for counting, when the dealing's done!