The Bowling Stones

(Click the Photo for the Photo Credit).

Tonight was my first night of my bowling league. I decided to join the bowling league for three reasons:

1. My love of my dodgeball league.
2. My lame Friday nights (all my girls are in serious relationships or super-duper-crazy-busy. Most aren’t around for a Friday night get together – unless I plan it weeks in advance).
3. To meet more single people.

Also, the bowling league is through my dodgeball league, and the league boasted, “Bowling is the perfect social league, and easiest way to meet new people. It doesn’t matter if you get more gutters than pins either, since we use handicap scoring to even out all the players”.

So I thought, sure, why not?

I left my apartment tonight a little nervous about going by myself, but excited to meet new people and have some fun. I arrived at the bowling alley and picked up my league shirt and got my shoes. I met my team – “The Bowling Stones” – they were all super nice.

Then, I noticed something.

A lot of the people around me had their own bowling balls. And their own bowling shoes.

Oh no.

Wait. Are they really good at bowling? Good enough to buy their own ball? Their own shoes? What happened to throwing gutters?

Oh no.

So I went to the straight to the bar and bought a beer. Take the edge of my increasing anxiety.

Then we started with some practice shots.

I didn’t hit one pin.

“Oh, don’t worry” I told my team, “I just haven’t played in a long time”. (Which was true).

Then the game started.

I didn’t hit many pins.

My team on the other hand, was throwing strikes and spares. Each time I went, and I usually didn’t hit one pin; I became more and more concerned.

My kind team members all started giving me tips and suggestions – “Pull your arm back straight”, “Watch your follow through”. I nodded, flashed a big smile, and told them, “Thanks so much! Good advice! Yes, I did not know that!”

My team is also BIG on high-fives and fist-bumps. After each person threw, we all high-fived. Even when I didn’t hit any pins – we high fived. Lots of high-fives. Lots.

Over the night I missed more pins than I hit. I somehow randomly got one strike and one spare. My team realized I did better when they were not coaching me.

After two games my score – my total score – was a whopping 70. The other girl on my team scored well over 100.

Of course, this experience flashed me back to my days of failed sports – swimming, soccer, cross-country, and track. In each sport, my team was kind at first, trying to help, teach and inspire me. By the end of the season, they were happy if I was injured or missed a game. Although I had great team spirit, my (lack of) performance brought their score down.

So, overall? The night kinda blew. I am hopeful that I do meet some cool people and make more friends.

The good news? I came home to this:

In her youth, Tahn thought she was a bowling ball and children were bowling pins. It was not good.

And I made this:

Hello, Sweet Potato Fries

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