As I sit here thinking about my father, one memory that comes to mind is how he would always ask me to play cards with him. He loved playing card games, like poker but mostly played solitaire, so he was always eager to have someone to play with.
Unfortunately, I was always too busy to play a game with him. Whether it was work, or social obligations, I never seemed to have the time to sit down and play a few hands with my dad.
Looking back on those missed opportunities now, I can't help but feel a sense of regret. My father has since passed away, and I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if I had made the time to play cards with him. Would we have bonded more over those games? Would I have learned more about him and his life experiences?
It's easy to take the time we have with our loved ones for granted, assuming that there will always be more time in the future. But the reality is that life is unpredictable, and we never know when our time with someone might come to an end. In hindsight, I wish I had made the effort to spend more quality time with my father, even if it meant sacrificing some of my other obligations.
In a way, my father's love of cards was a reflection of his desire to connect with me and spend time together. It wasn't really about the cards themselves, but about the time we could spend in each other's company. I hope that wherever he is now, he knows how much I appreciated his invitations to play cards, and how much I regret not taking him up on them more often.
So, if you have a loved one who is always asking you to do something with them, whether it's playing cards, going for a walk, or just spending time together, I urge you to make the effort to say yes more often. You never know how much those moments might mean to both of you, and you don't want to look back with regret when it's too late.