Life Lessons and Bowling

Someone randomly asked me today how I felt about bowling.

My initial response was that I think bumper bowling is for pussies even if your 5.

I think everyone should know what it’s like to end up in the gutter when you’re trying your absolute best (ok, maybe not when you are five).

And then I started thinking about all the other lessons you can learn from bowling…

• If someone tells you it would be a terrible mistake to cross that line because it’s pretty slippery after you do, you should listen to them. They probably know what they’re talking about.
• Ugly shoes have their time and place. For example, your non-skid shoes may not be pleasing to the eye but they will keep you safer on a restaurant floor than your pretty Nikes.
• Nobody likes the guy who is perfect all the time even though everyone is clapping for him.
• Sometimes you really can count on people to pull you through a difficult time.
• If you’ve bowled gutters over and over, it’s time to try a new approach. Same approach= same result.
• Some are better than none.
• A lot of times, what you do today, won’t matter 5 hours, 5 days, 5 weeks, or 5 years from now.
• You win some. You lose some.

It doesn’t really matter what you are doing in life, there will be ups and downs. Good days and bad days. The important thing is to surround yourself with those that make all of your days bearable and memorable.

You (possibly) only have this one life. We all end up in the gutter in some way or another. It’s ok to ask for help. It’s ok to ask for pointers. It’s ok to be bummed out because you saw things unfolding differently.

But there is always going to be another day, another game, another frame… until one day, there’s not.

So embrace your disappointments. Keep trying. When you can’t seem to throw anything but gutterballs, change your approach. Stop worrying about the ugly shoes, they serve a purpose. And keep clapping for that guy who seems perfect, he’s really just as fucked up as the rest of us (and may need it more than you).