I’ve always needed some sort of fidget to keep my hands busy. I never tested myself for attention disorders, nor do I feel the need to, I’ve just always concentrated better when my hands are occupied. My favorite fidget: shuffling cards.
My fixation on card shuffling, aside from cultivating the smoothest bridge shuffle I’ve ever seen and fostering a love for card games/gambling, has caused me to take a deeper look into the significance of playing cards.
I strongly believe card games like bridge, hearts, euchre, cribbage, etc., provide healthy mental exercises that parents should be encouraging with their kids every day. In addition, card decks contain lots of real-world symbolism to help us understand our past.
Centuries ago in Europe, hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds symbolized church, military, agriculture and the merchant class. Two colors for day and night, four suits for four elements or four seasons, 12 face cards for 12 months, 52 cards for 52 weeks.