Every Hands a winner. And Every Hands a Loser. Only playing them will decide which.

I’m not a gambler.

Set me down in Vegas with a million bucks, and I’ll leave broke.

But my Grandpa was. I’ve heard countless stories of how, during the depression, he’d get into a poker game with only a few dimes in his pocket and walk away with enough winnings to put groceries on the table for another week. He gave me one piece of advice based on his card days.

“Play every card you can get.”

I’ve applied that to life more than once.

So, with that in mind, here we go.

Picture it. 1992. Conejos County, Colorado.

I’m back from the war. I’m a single parent. I’m beat up physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

And I find myself working for a sheriff I’d trained when he was rookie.

Piece of advice. If you ever find yourself in that position, it’s time to get out of that line of work.

Worse, I’m working as a dispatcher and part time investigator.

So one day, he adds another hat for me to wear by walking in and saying, “Hey, Rich. What do you know about hazardous materials and chemicals.”

“Well,” I answered. “By an odd coincidence my secondary MOS was Chemical Warfare Defense Specialist.”

“Cool and congratulations. You’re it.”

“I’m it what?”

“You’re now the county emergency manager.”

“Cool. What do I do?”

“I haven’t a clue,” he said.

Two days later I had my first natural disaster.

Three months Later, I had another. This time, I handled it so well and got so much positive press out of it, the State of Colorado created a position for me.

I remember talking about it with my folks and they were of the opinion I should stay where I was. after all, working for the Sheriff’s Office was stable and it wasn’t going anywhere. That made perfect sense except that while I was running around the world, keeping it safe for Democracy (or from – depending on how you want to look at it), my certification as a Police Officer had lapsed. The county probably wouldn’t send me back to academy, and there was no way I could pay for it on my own.

I knew I was at a career deadend.

And with that on the table, and a new set of cards having been dealt me, I took Grandpa’s advice.

I played the cards and for the next four years I was a Regional Emergency Manager.

Four years later, the grant that funded me ran out.

But during those four years, I’d reinvented myself.

When the grant ran out, my wife asked what was next. I’d learned computers and networking. I hung out a shingle and I’ve been doing that since.

So, sometimes the best bet is play the cards rather than play it safe.