Man, I'm nothing but a wimp.

Hell, I'm the biggest freaking wuss that exists.

You want to know something? If you're a male who is reading this, then so are you.

It's not our fault; back in the day, men were men. They worked in steel mills and drank boilermakers. When their children were born, they smoked non-filtered Camels in the waiting room until the doctor arrived and told them that they had magically become fathers. Nothing hindered or affected their knowledge that they were the toughest, strongest, and baddest guys to grace the Earth.

It's just not that way anymore.

I got a call at work at 1:20 in the morning. It was my wife. Her water had just broken, without warning, and she was suddenly in hard labor. Her mother, who is visiting from out of town, was driving her to the hospital, and I needed to meet her there.

As luck would have it, I was working alone that night. I work nights as a computer operator while I work on completing my degree in computer programming. Our facility must be manned twenty-four hours a day. Just walking out the door in not an option, so I called the boss and let him know. He had me contact one of my co-workers who lived close to work, and I made it to the hospital by 2:00.

Veronica was born at 2:22. She was seven pounds, eleven ounces.

My wife is one of the strongest, toughest people I know; a scant hour after passing a bowling-ball-sized, new little human being through her, while also having no pain medication during the delivery, she was able to get up and walk.

Hell, I need to take it easy for a few days after a healthy dump. And that's nowhere near the size of a child.

Truth be known, us men ain't nothin'. Compared to what women go through giving birth, there's no way we can compete with that strength and grit. We're all wimps.

What does the birth on my daughter have to do with Magic? Well, in a way, it has both nothing and everything.

As I reflect on the birth of my daughter, I dream of everything she can become. I hope and pray she doesn't make some of the same mistakes I have made. And, I think of how I can help prepare her for the real world.

And maybe - just maybe - this game that we love to play has helped me to become a better person and a better father. It's possible that this game has made me a better teacher. Let's look at some of the lessons that can be learned from Magic, and how they apply to real life:

Mana screw happens. Sure, when you shuffle up the cards, you always hope it won't happen, but, sometimes it just does. You have to deal with it. Granted, when it happens when card-flopping, you might just scoop and start again. Personally, I still like to play it out and see if I can draw out of it. The scoop option isn't available in real life. You have to stick with it, and work to persevere.

Sometimes, you just don't have all the mana you need to purchase everything you want. Sometimes you are downsized, and I have yet to see a former employer agree to make your house payment and feed your kids while you look for work. Regardless of which end of the spectrum you're on, you wish for neither, but sometimes it happens. You just have to deal with it.

It is always better to lose with integrity than to win by deception. I abhor cheaters; I would rather lose every game I play honestly than ever stoop to dishonest tactics to achieve victory. Think about it: Is the temporary gain worth your integrity?

The same thing applies to real life. Honesty is always the better path to take. How many CEOs are facing criminal charges currently because they cheated for a momentary monetary gain? I would guess that if you asked each one of them now what they would choose to do, they would take the high road and get less money rather than be faced with losing everything and having a cell mate named Bubba.

This game is random. There is always an equal chance of good and bad draws, of getting that needed card or not. We've all heard or said it before:"If I had only drawn card X," or"I'm playing four of cards X, Y, and Z, and I never saw any!" That's part of the randomness of this game. You have to accept it, not look back, and move forward. Life is the same way. Sometimes, things beyond our control happen, both good and bad. It's pointless to say"If I had done X," or"Why didn't this happen like I thought?" You prepare yourself as best you can, and deal with random events as they happen. You have to accept and deal with these things. It's not always fun; it's not always easy. But that's life sometimes.

When you play this game long enough, you're bound to meet a few jerks. These people will degrade you, act in an inappropriate manner, and just generally not be pleasant folks with whom to spend any time. Regardless of how they behave, that does not relieve you of your responsibilities to act in a proper manner. You don't have to like people who behave badly... But you also don't have to act like them either.

This is a tough lesson to learn. Our natural reaction is to strike back when we are attacked. This natural reaction is not acceptable a lot of the time. You'll have co-workers and managers that are some of the most miserable people to be around. Imitating their behavior can lead to a horrible working environment, or, worse yet, get you fired. Never forget the golden rule: Treat others how you wish to be treated.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, or answer questions. Many of us fall into that middle area as far as intelligence and knowledge are concerned. There are both people that are smarter than us and people that have less knowledge than we possess. In Magic, if you don't understand a deck, or a card, or have questions as to why your deck is bad, ask someone better and more experienced that you for help. When a new player asks you questions, help them out and give them good advise. Eventually, you will learn that it's not fun to feel like an idiot at work because you're too proud to ask for help.

You'll also discover that it's pretty annoying to continually have to do other people's work for them because you don't train and teach them appropriately. Share your tech - whether it's about Magic, work, or just life in general.

Lastly, and most importantly, recognize what really matters and what is truly trivial. When playing a control deck, you don't need to counter everything. When playing beatdown, you'll occasionally have to trade creatures when attacking. You have to recognize which threats are important. You need to recognize when a trade is worth it or not.

Scores of things in life are the same way. When you sit back and reflect, much of what we do and what we think is important falls into the trivial area. I love Magic as much as the next guy, but it is insignificant when compared to raising my children, taking care of my wife, or work. This week, my daughter was born - and it coincided with my midterms, of which I had three this week. As my daughter was more important than my tests, I contacted my instructors and made the required arrangements. It's all about perspective and recognizing the truly important.

I guess I could apologize for not sending any super-tech your way this week... But, I won't. Some weeks aren't about cards, and what decks are good and bad. Some weeks are just about reflection. Occasionally, we all need to sit back and realize what this game offers and teaches beyond basic strategy.

I'd like to leave you with one final thought before I go: The next time you get annoyed at that slow player for taking so much time, remember this. The time it takes for your slow opponent to take a turn pales in comparison to the three to five seconds it takes from your child's birth until they take their first breath.

Peace...
Carl Wilt
Brownsfan56@hotmail.com