align with the house?

to better the odds   

just to live is a leap of faith,

and within that leap are countless choices
with which we hope to jump to where we wish:
that she at whom we smile will smile back at us,
that the way across the road is open enough
that no vehicle will wreck our self-assurance,
that we can choose well enough to make it harder
for disease and death to be behind the door we open,

I bought Apple stock before ipods and ipads,
when the company made more sense than dollars,
and my investment has grown by 50 times, and more,
so I bought other stock,
and its trajectory humbles my sureness,

this week I’ve thought to sell some stock
for a new electric car and energy-efficient heating and a/c
at the mountain cabin,
so what happens?
my optimism has shrunk
as others’ pessimism has swelled,
and the stock has lost $50 a share,

a cautionary tale, yet I still hope. . .

all we can do with our lives is play the odds well,
the universe plays dice with our lives
and we stand a better chance of winning
when we ally ourselves with the house,
and do what we can to better the odds.

by Henry H. Walker
April 16, ’12
images from Google Images