Strike! Bowling + Life Parallels: Episode 2

When Mary Ann first embarked on the path to becoming a “respectable” bowler, she dove in with enthusiasm and fortitude.  Nothing, and no one would stand in her way.  What she did not expect was the complexity of planning, thought and strategy that were part of this sport she previously gave little or no thought to, and if she had, surely would have viewed it as mindless but fun.  Also, taking her by surprise were the generosity of the people she met, and the life lessons she learned along the way.  Join Mary Ann on her meaningful, and at times extremely funny journey.

Episode 2: What I Didn't Learn While Learning to Bowl

Let’s see where were we…oh yes, like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, I was determined to go forward no matter what.

In a stroke of good luck, I discovered that the same local bowling alley where I earned my trophy had all-you-can-bowl nights on Wednesdays which meant I could bowl for three hours at a bargain price! That was perfect for me: pay one price and just keep bowling-- surely if I bowled, and bowled, and bowled-- I would figure this thing out eventually.  Right?

Before I left work for my first bowl-your-arm-off event, a good friend tried to show me the technique of how to roll the ball properly. So I rehearsed the "how to roll the ball thing" in my mind all day and when I got to the alley later that night I was ready to put "theory" into practice. Except that somewhere, between my mind and the bowling ball, there was a bit of a short circuit.  But I persevered, and after a while I felt like I sort of figured it out.  Maybe.  A little bit. About this time the ex-pro at the alley came over to "assist" me.  Apparently it was just too painful for him watching me butcher the sport that he had excelled at and truly loved. He tried to give me a few pointers and I thought I was being receptive, and doing what he was suggesting, at least up until the moment he walked away in frustration. Truth be told, I can be a little stubborn and tend to do things my own way.  I guess I just wasn’t quite yet ready to do what the ex-pro recommended.  Still, I felt confident that I could figure it out by myself. 

So how did I really do, and was there any larger learning to be gleaned?  More about that in Episode 3.