52 Card Pick Up!

52 Card Pick Up!

By Allen Merritt ©2018

Ever play 52 card pick up?

It’s a card game. Well, sort of!

It's real easy. First, ask someone if they want to play the game. Then take an entire deck of cards, shuffle them a time or two just for fun and then suddenly scatter them everywhere by throwing/spewing them across the room. 

Cards from every suit are now strewn all around. The other player now has to pick them up and put the deck back together again. Generally, this is performed as a prank and a joke. Needless-to-say, a sense of humor is necessary.

However, with a little exploration I discovered how the game can be utilized to do some good thinks (other than make a mess or pull someone's leg). ¹

Positive aspects of playing this game involve building teams. Generating team spirit and working together to find solutions is always a positive aspect toward achieving. Think about Habitat for Humanity and barn raisings. People come together to help their neighbors.

Another positive element would be how the game helps people use their thinking caps. Think of it like one of those brain games that help keep minds active and alive. The facilitator assigns the goal (i.e. put each suit together in numerical order.) and it becomes a race to see who can accomplish the task first.

I have even noticed there is a workout series called “52 Card Pick Up” where your daily workout is determined by the cards including how many reps to do and what each suit and color each exercise is represented by.

I don’t know why I was thinking of this childhood game. It simply popped in my head out of nowhere. I guess it makes sense though when you are trying to make the most of your daily life and stay on the positive upswing to realize that albeit some things seem to generate more messes than others, there is still a positive result to reach out for.

I have a friend who has been trying for several years now to clean up her mess of a home. Teetering on the brink of being a hoarder she understands it’s her place to take care of it, so she does a little every day to sort and trash. She maintains a positive attitude about it and appears determined. I think she understands it is in her best interest and well-being to make order out of the chaos. This is her “52 Card pick up.”

I feel that way sometimes, too, especially when I am running here and there, packing a bag and then throwing it in the corner before grabbing another bag and heading out again. Mail piles up, newspapers, magazines, clothes and somewhere in the midst of it all I need to sleep and find time to rest and take care of me. So I see the piles and eventually get to them and reorganize. This is my “52 Card Pick Up.”

I guess when we feel overwhelmed by any kind of a mess, most of us want to make it better and move forward. I love a clean environment, but have learned I cannot always get there until time allows. The way I see it, life needs to look lived in a bit anyway.

Besides, do not most people have a throw all drawer, corner or room they utilize for just this sort of thing?

There is always something positive to strive for once we look into the situation.

I feel we must find a way to make it all fun and fulfilling to keep ourselves on the positive track. Isn’t that the idea behind neighborhood fundraiser car washes? Folks get together, get wet and dirty and have a good time all for a good cause.

If it’s a mess, then it’s a 52 Card Pick Up!

I think we might as well have a laugh at all of the ups and downs that come along. No sense in crying over spilled milk as they say.

Keep that in mind this week as you enjoy living life on a positive note.

Cheers!