Nervous Shuffling

 When I was in county jail awaiting the outcome of my case, I spent a lot of time with a deck of cards. It turned out to be a great way to pass the time. The mystery of a shuffled deck is deeper than it seems at the surface. I read somewhere that in the entire history of playing cards, there have probably never been two shuffled decks in exactly the same order.

  I came up with a game one day, where I shuffle the deck and deal out the first five cards. The goal was to get a royal flush. To make it fun, I let myself believe that if I really did deal a royal flush off the top of the deck, I would go free. I tried to calculate my odds of success in another game called, "Do I remember enough math to do this?" It was a fun brainteaser, and it eventually led to an answer, 1 in 649,740. The odds of being let go? Let's see, what are the odds of a Nigerian prince actually needing your help with an escrow account?

  Despite all the time I spent playing this game, I never did win. I did, however, get very good at shuffling cards. My fingers developed little calluses where they touched the corners of the deck. My hands started to shuffle without my conscious help, the same way they knew how to tie my shoes. All my failed attempts to win an unwinnable game left me with a new talent.

Question for group discussion: Have you found hidden gems in pursuit of other goals?