The Art of Bowling

We love to bowl. It may just be the only activity that every single member of my family enjoys. We don't do it nearly enough, but when we do, we always have a blast. That I'm able to bowl is a huge blessing - for years I sat and watched everyone else because my body just couldn't handle it. 

Holding that bowling ball in my hand today, I felt amazing - clumsy, but amazing. I didn't do very well, but had fun anyway. And I learned a few things along the way. 

The first is that watching my children bowl is just as fun as bowling, if not more. The looks on their faces as they launch the the ball down the lane, the crazy moves they do to urge the ball in one direction or another, and the celebratory dances when pins are successfully knocked over are priceless. 

The second is that bowling involves more muscle systems than you'd think. Not only did I emerge with a sore arm, but my hip, knee, lower back, and shoulder weren't too happy with me either. 

The third is all about style. We all have a different bowling style. Some roll the ball as quickly and as hard as possible in hopes that the pins will jump out of the way. Some have a super-fancy approach that results in an utterly unpredictable ball launch. Others roll the ball in such a way that one has plenty of time in which to question whether or not it will in fact make it to the pins, and if it does, if it will have enough force to knock any over. 

And the final lesson of the day is that it's much too much fun to take pictures of people while they're bowling. 

Alia: Approach, roll, dance

Coren: Quick approach, launch the ball, spin around and run

Alex: fast approach, forceful roll, mentally urges ball in proper direction

Daddy: Looks like he knows what he's doing

Haley: Graceful - appears to be more figure skating than bowling

Mama: Feeling blessed to be able to bowl (and for some reason, inexplicably cold)

Zachary: Not sure whether he's launching the ball or himself at the pins

Daddy, the only one of us with a clue of what they're doing, won that game. Coren was seven points behind. Mama was beaten by Alia by one point. That, however, didn't really matter to any of us. What mattered was the laughter, the fun, and the memories made.