FOREWORD

Since I was old enough to play the State Lottery, I’ve loved to gamble. And I’m fairly intelligent enough to know that the odds are always in favor of the house and not the player. So even though gambling is a foolish game, I’ve always found the thrill in wins and loses. I even had plans to visit Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the United States. Then a series of unfortunate events prevented those plans.

First, I spent 2 years in recovery after a major heart procedure and stroke. By the time I was well enough to travel, a pandemic swept the country and the rest of the world. Then I ended up in the middle of Texas, where there isn’t a casino for a few hundred miles in any direction. The itch to gamble was still strong, but the thrill could not be found. To cope with this feeling, I managed to create my own game in which I am both the house and players. Thus created a living story that is part chance and part structure.

A few interesting plot twists and game mechanics later, and a story was born. This is that story that I have learned from experience, my time in isolation recovering and my home computer and internet streaming services. As an art major and theatre student I drew a lot of inspiration from the classic Alice in Wonderland. For if life is like a game, then it’s okay to make up the rules as you go along. The odds may be stacked against you, but you still play for the hope of better things to come.

This coming from a man who should be dead, but through some miracle survived an aortic dissection. That’s why they call me the Miracle Man I guess. Because it’s a miracle I live to see another day. And we should all appreciate that miracle we call life that is our own.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thank you to my loving family and friends. They may call me the Miracle Man, but the real miracle is having their support and inspiration.