Whist

I had a ‘bright’ idea a while ago to organise a whist drive, mainly to see if I could spot the cards better with the ‘new’ glasses I got a few months back. These glasses have been giving me some grief though—my eyes are sore in the mornings and sometimes focusing is hard. I can’t quite understand why an optician would give out the wrong specs, especially after supposedly testing me for the right lenses.  

That said, they do change my vision in certain ways. I seem to see things further away now, which is part of why I thought of hosting a whist drive. I also figured it might be a good excuse to get people socialising again after the awful two years of isolation.  

I asked a friend to help with the night—she offered to bring the cards and a raffle prize. I put a poster up in the bookshop in the next town, mentioned it on Twitter, and went around asking people if they wanted to join. I booked the room and arranged some tea. Honestly, I had no idea if anyone would come, or if I’d end up cancelling altogether.  

When Friday came, I went early to set up and be there to greet people—if they turned up. I’d heard during the day that some were coming, which was encouraging. I expected early arrivals, but as time passed, it seemed no one was showing up. One person had even said they’d be early, but they weren’t.  

Eventually, people did arrive, and then came the slightly awkward bit of collecting money. With a friend’s help, I managed to get it all in the end. The evening went fine overall, and everyone got their prizes—including me.  

As for the glasses, I think they help a little. With my old ones, I struggled to see the cards clearly, which meant I couldn’t plan many tactics during the game. Maybe I take it all too seriously—it’s really just a night out, and one where you don’t have to chat if you don’t want to.