Arnon Grunberg

Poker II

Pain

Another night of poker. I was seated next to a young man in his early thirties who seemed to be unhappy with almost everything. Above all he did mind every dollar he lost.
Isn’t there a rule that you should only gamble with things you don’t mind losing? And if in hindsight you regret the loss, well, as SSgt. Barnes says in Platoon: “Take the pain.” In general more people should be willing to take the pain. Especially those little, dirty pains. A clogged toilet. A missing cat. A demanding boss. A wife who's waiting for plastic surgery. An absolute lack of talent.