Life: The Luck of the Draw

Sometimes, life is a carefully laid-out plan. Other times, it feels like a deck of cards shuffled by an unseen hand—some people are dealt aces, while others spend their days just trying to survive with a losing hand. Tonight, I was reminded of just how much of our lives comes down to luck.

I was at a fundraiser dinner party, supporting my bestie’s daughter and her dance group. It was held in one of the biggest cities in Jersey, an evening filled with laughter, conversation, and a shared goal of helping young dancers chase their dreams.

At some point, I stepped outside for a cigarette, taking in the cool night air. That’s when I noticed him—an older man, walking with a cane, staring into a parked Mercedes-Benz.

My first thought? Is this guy about to break into a car?

But then, I noticed his gaze wasn’t fixed on the vehicle itself—he was looking at the ground. That’s when it hit me. He wasn’t casing a car; he was searching for a used cigarette, something discarded but still smokeable.

In that moment, my perspective shifted.

I reached into my pack and offered him a cigarette. He took it, and I asked if he needed a light. He declined, then hesitated before asking if I had any spare change. I apologized and told him I didn’t have any cash on me—hardly anyone carries it these days. He nodded, understanding, thanked me, and began to walk away.

Before he left, I told him, Good night and God bless.

That brief exchange sat heavy in my heart. Every time I meet someone like him, I find myself wondering: What happened to him? Was he a veteran? Did he lose his job? Did life just deal him a series of bad hands he couldn’t recover from?

And then my mind expands beyond just him. I think about children battling cancer. Families in impoverished countries. People who were never given the same chances I had.

That could have been me.

I was one of the lucky ones—born into a life with a loving family, supported by a village, given opportunities, and blessed with health. I didn’t earn those things. I was just lucky. And that realization makes my heart ache for those who weren’t as fortunate.

It’s easy to look away, to let the discomfort pass, to tell ourselves that people in these situations got there by their own doing. But the truth is, we don’t know their stories. We don’t know what broke them, what stripped them of their dignity, what forced them to survive instead of live.

What we can do is choose kindness.

We can choose to see them, to offer a small gesture of humanity, to remind them that they are not invisible. A cigarette. A meal. A kind word. A moment of acknowledgment. These things cost so little, but they can mean everything.

So, let’s be kinder. Let’s give freely when we can. Let’s commit to random acts of kindness—not just when it’s easy, but especially when it’s not. Because at the end of the day, life is the luck of the draw. And the least we can do is lift up those who weren’t dealt a winning hand.

— The Not So Common Gal