Hit the Deck!

By Cynthia Adler

You might remember a saying from not so long ago, “It’s all in the cards?” Sort of a retro expression of “whatever will be, will be?” Well, it just might be that that “retro” expression is making its way into the mainstream today at breakneck speed.

It used to be, you would go into a store that sold spiritual items like Buddhas, pendulums, books to soothe the soul, etc., as well as many decks of spiritual cards that gave you a message. That’s the only place you would find those cards. And perhaps you would buy one of those decks, (let’s say one that read, “Angels Can Help,”) and the next morning you would shuffle that deck and pick a card. It might read, “You are Protected today with a Halo of Light.” And you would take that to heart and feel good no matter what, even if your boss cut back your salary, or your spouse told you that the dinner you had labored over for hours was completely inedible.

But today, those cards have made their way into the mainstream. In a time when there is a mass of overload, getting advice from coaches and therapists in person may be a bit harder to schedule. So now...because cards are available almost everywhere, (even in Walmart and Amazon,) they are becoming a much bigger business. And as people purchase more and more spiritual and inspirational cards, many are also turning to Power Cards, advising you how to break through barriers, or stay focused on pro-activity, or leave your job for something that speaks to you a little louder.

But like everything else, there will inevitably be a next step... targeting what they call the “over-50” generation. And the fun of that, is imagining just what it might look like...

Because we live in an endless circle of buy and sell, you don’t get much advice today for nothing. Just take a gander through the Internet. You open an article, a You Tube video, an anything, and along with that anything, you get advertisements. You can’t escape it unless you live in a tree in Uganda. So the new sets of cards will most likely be set up by corporations, so that you can start your day in a really positive way, but get some “shopping suggestions” at the same time.

Sally, a woman of 54, an Advertising Executive, gets up at 7AM. She showers, makes her breakfast and then goes to her deck of cards called “You Rule and Rock.” She shuffles the deck and picks a card. At the top of the card it says, “You are beyond beautiful. Let that infuse your spirit. Own that!” Sally smiles. Then she looks down at the bottom of the card and it says in tiny lettering, “Check out Cragers Filler Bras. Flat chests are not flattering.” And that’s all it needs to say. If Sally is a D, she may not even read the entire sentence. But if she happens to be an A, she might think about it, since she was just contemplating “owning” her beauty.

Phillip, a man in his late 60’s, is a Landscaper. He gets up, shaves, sticks deodorant under his arm, and goes to his deck of cards titled, “Man In Charge.” He pulls a card from the deck. It reads: “Life Should Be Hard!” He thinks about that. It makes sense to him. He interprets that to mean, it tests you and makes you stronger. Phillip’s eyes then go down to the bottom of the card, and it says in small lettering, “we know ED is not fun... we have the answer... @BallandChain.com.

So what is the answer as advertising continues to eat up so much of our time and space. And mere advice will surely grow out of control...even with the cards?

Maybe a game of Gin Rummy might be best.