“What are the odds…?”
A question I NEVER want directed at me, because what usually follows is something I REALLY don’t want to do.
Welcome to the game that has infiltrated my team. What Are The Odds is a game of dares. Person 1 asks Person 2 “On a scale between 1 & 50, What Are The Odds you ____________” – fill in the blank with a dare. Person 2 then gives a number (closer to 1 being “yeah I wouldn’t mind” and closer to 50 being “heck no, not on my life”). A bystander, Person 3, then counts down “3…2…1!” On the count of 1, Person 1 & 2 both say numbers. If the numbers add up to the number Person 2 gave, then BOTH of them have to do the dare. If the numbers are the exact same, then Person 2 has to do the dare, no matter what. If the numbers don’t do either, then Person 2 is one lucky human.
For Example:
Person 1: “What are the odds you’ll dye your hair bright blue?”
Person 2: “45”
Person 3: “Okay, 3..2..1!”
Person 1 / 2: “23” / “23”
– The numbers are the same, so Person 2 has to dye their hair bright blue!
– If the numbers were something like 5 and 40.. then because that adds up to 45, BOTH people would have to dye their hair!
Shoutout to Grace who explained it above. She could do it better than I could, so thanks, Grace!
*Disclaimer for my parental units: I have no new holes in my head and no new tattoos. The other day, my team and I were walking back from the grocery store when Grace and Kate wanted to find out how much piercings and tattoos were as we passed a place that does them just next to the store. Kate jokingly says, “What are the odds, Em?” Grace overheard this and said, “Yes! EM! What are the odds of you getting a tattoo?” Um. NOPE! I said as much, and after a few times of repeating “I REALLY DON’T WANT A TATTOO!!!”, Grace negotiated with me and she said, “What about a piercing, and I’ll pay for it?” I still said I didn’t want to play, but I had to play anyway, because those are the rules of the game. I won, by the way, so no new holes in my head or anywhere else on my body, and no new ink, but if looks could kill, the look I gave Grace during the game would have done the job perfectly. I’m glad looks can’t kill, so we can all laugh about it, but still. I did NOT want to play, and prayed super hard that I wouldn’t lose. PRAISE JESUS!
That got me thinking, though. Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of reflection on my time on the Race, and how I am a different person than I was when I first left only 2 months ago. Throughout the rest of the Race, I will continue to change and grow in my faith, and will most definitely not be going home the same person. I began thinking about what the odds are that when I go home, am I going to be bold enough to do some of the things I’ve done on the Race thus far. Will I be brave enough to go up to someone and ask them how they’re doing? Will I be brave enough to tell them God loves them? Will I be able to strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone and be able to have a fruitful conversation with them? So many more questions flood my brain as I analyze the growth that I’ve experienced. There are so many other aspects of myself that I’ve grown in too, but for sake of keeping this blog short enough to keep everyone’s attention captivated, there will be have to be many more blog posts on which I will elaborate on that growth.
I was scared of going on this race for many reasons: student loan payments, needing a job, missing my family, friends, and home a ton, it’s too long of a trip…I’m glad I did this even though I was scared of all of the repercussions. When I go home, I will be a completely different person. Before I even knew it, I was playing a game of “What are the odds…?” with God, and He won. I had to do it, and while some days are hard, I’m glad I’m here and I’m excited for what’s next.
So, while you wait for more blogs to come on elaboration of growth, here’s my question:
WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT YOU GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING YOU’RE SCARED OF OR POSTPONING?
You’ve been asked. You have to play.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
