Renee Personal Essay 2

 Lesson Learned

The swish of 52 cards blows between my dad’s hands as he shuffles the deck. As she refills the trio of tea cups, my mom shoots a grin at me. She’s already ahead by 4 points. Soon enough, when my dad inevitably gains the lead, laughter and jokes about how he “fixed the deck” will ensue. 

For my family, this is what our typical “Game night” looks like. Really, we only play one game: Da-Pai. Literally translating to “Play cards” in English, each player is dealt an equal amount of cards. The goal? To get rid of them as fast as possible. First person to do so is the winner, while the last person is the loser. In our family, it's passed down from generation to generation, each parent teaching their kids how to play. Even though it may seem like a simple family hobby, Da-Pai has taught me some valuable lessons about self control and patience. 

One time, when I was 8, I was dealt the two easiest cards to get rid of. I quite literally was jumping with joy, bragging to my parents about how I was about to win. My mom chastised me for being so obnoxious. She cautioned that I shouldn’t be so sure as anything could happen and that playing carefully was the most important. What did she know? Obviously, when faced with such silly words, I blatantly ignored them. Guess who was fuming in a corner 10 minutes later. 

I was SO salty. I didn’t leave that living room corner for a good 30 minutes. During that time, I kept on making excuses. I could’ve lost because of bad luck. Or maybe, my parents teamed up on me. But no matter how many reasons I could think of. I knew that, deep down, what truly cost me the game were my rash decisions. I had been so confident that I’d win, just because I got the two best cards, that I neglected to actually play with any strategy. That game taught me an important lesson: don’t be brash. 

That wasn’t the only wisdom I gleaned from Da-Pai. After I had learned more of the game, I finally got good enough to beat both my parents. For weeks, I envisioned what it would be like when I finally won. I would gleefully put down my last card, to the shock and horror of my parents. I’d laugh in their faces as I went to get more cookies. In short, I thought I’d be through the roof if I won. 

And I was. Well, kind of. The truth was, the moment was a lot more mellow than I thought it would be. I put down the last card to the sighs of my parents, and I grinned happily as I got my cookies. But I didn’t feel the exhilarating rush that I thought I’d feel. It just felt normal. Like the sensation you get when you bite into a piece of really good chocolate. I realized my excitement didn’t actually come from  beating my parents. It came through the process of learning the game, from spending so many hours playing (and losing!) to find my sense of strategy. Through my win, I learned that outcomes aren’t all that important. It’s the process that counts. 

I used to think that Da-Pai was just a silly game in our family. A little fun tradition. I never expected that, by playing it, it would teach me valuable lessons applicable to real life. But I don’t think that this aspect is particular to Da-Pai. Violin teaches an appreciation for the arts, math trains concentration and competitive food eating coaches perseverance. Our hobbies all have little bits of wisdom that they can teach us. We just have to look out for them. 

I feel like my transitions and logic in this essay are a little off. Please let me know how I can make it smoother!