Shuffling Clarity: The Radiant Quest and a Deck of Purpose

Initiation into the game of spades is no simple thing.

It is a rite of passage, a community heritage, and a cultural guideline. It is an introductory step into measuring one's capacity to "talk smack" while enduring the same, tactical planning and activation in the heat of battle, resource management, and the imposition of will.

Once these concepts become integrated into the fledgling student, they are released into the wide wild world with just enough knowledge of Suits, Books, and Trump Cards just to be dangerous. I have the distinct memory of being released into the world after my training. My confidence swelled and like the fallen angel himself, I walked the world seeking spades players whom I could devour.

However, as all of the fledglings do, I ran into "that" couple-a team so epic that their game starts before the cards are even dealt.

Life, much like spades, is best played with a partner, and the journey to purpose is a radiant quest for clarity that must be strategically won and booked on a play-by-play basis. Partners in spades understand this on the surface. True partners in spades and life live this truth from the depths of the ocean floor.

I recall a junior year encounter at MTSU, facing a formidable couple in the James Union Student building.

I sat down with my partner, another random person waiting in the wings to dethrone the team holding the table, and blundered into another life lesson regarding the game of spades. The lesson: Spades is not just played with the mind, but, with the heart and to miss this point will lead to a foolish end.

My partner and I sat in opposing chairs from each other and opened with our "smack" talk offense. Our opponents deftly deflected and diluted our digs with a "who dey" defense, a defense predicated on discrediting the people you are playing using the least words possible while soliciting the biggest laughs.

Then they amped up their attacks with the deal. The dealer threw the shuffled cards in a non-sequential pattern that was erratic and energetic while still effectively dealing the correct amount of cards to each player.

We settled into play and agreed on a standing rule called no talking around the board. This rule forbade any open conversation amongst partners about the contents of the cards in their hands. This team talked, not about their hand, but about us. I was belittled in so many ways that my partner was laughing at me. They had deployed the divide-and-distract offense and it was working.

The bidding war began and they laughed heartily at our bid. One of them said, "Those queens ain't gonna fly." The other one joined in, "yall sure about that possible?"

Confusion was their third layer of offense.

After the books were tallied and marked down, play began.

My partner opened with an Ace and we took the first book, he came back the next play with a King and a glance my way. The power couple took the play with an Ace and the book was lost. One-half of the power couple slid the captured cards into a neat stack and the other kept the Aces coming. The play was urgent and methodical. I felt like a nail being hammered steadily into a cedar plank. I blinked a few times and the round was over. My random partner and I missed our bid and went under, which was an automatic ejection from the playing table.

the beating was sound, unapologetic, and ferocious.

I set there as the next team went up and ruminated on the trouncing that we took.

They effortlessly deflected our smack talk, deployed a divide-and-distract offense, and left us off balance. The confusion offense followed, leading to a resounding defeat.

Here's the bigger lesson: Playing life's hand requires more than strategic thinking; it demands playing with heart. I have found that zeal, joy, and determination are attributes of playing with heart.

As my partner and I stumbled through the game, I realized that purpose, like spades, involves generating meaningful dialogue. The power team spoke with words, gestures, and a code of breaths and laughs that went beyond our understanding, but, was a source of clarity for the two. Talk it up!

The divide-and-distract tactics mirrored life's challenges, reminding me that maintaining balance is crucial.

Purpose, too, requires a steady pace, much like hammering a nail into a plank.

The radiant quest for clarity mirrors the spades table. If you lose, you must get up, but the prize is the desire for purpose. Bid wisely, play strategically, and keep your eye on the radiant quest. Just as in spades, the game of life is afoot, and with the right mindset (and partner!), you can find and fulfill your purpose, ensuring you stay at the table for the long game.