On December 31 2015 (last year) I was in a funk. I even posted as much on my Facebook page. True story. I said that I needed a better year.
And it was not just any ordinary funk either, it was a times-fifty funk, a funk-zilla, a funkity, funk, funk, funk. Oh, it was bad.
What tragedy had put me into this despondent, pile of trembling misery you ask. Well, not to mitigate the drama or whatever but I’d have to say it was a bad case of the no’s. No job, no money, no love, no nothing going right. Everything and everybody was out to get me. That’s what it surely felt like.
I knew I had to do something as the very sad weeks of the very new year flew by. I did not want to end up even more desolate, even more bummed out by the end of 2016. I needed something new and shiny.
But what?
Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh!!!! Social Media to the rescue. Some months back, in a fit of socialness, I had “Liked” the “LGBT – Let’s Go Bowling Together” Face Book page.
Then in late January I saw in my newsfeed that the LGBT bowling league was looking for people to fill out their winter league. I emailed the page right away to see if I might get in.
Even though the reply was promising I was not super hopeful because I had sent a similar email the previous spring and it was a no-go. They were only taking complete teams. I didn’t have a complete team.
But this time I got lucky.
Here’s the best part. Not only did they let me into their league, they put me on a super-friendly team (all guys), and it bothered no one that I was a bad bowler. I was, in fact, super bad. It was easier for me to break a hundred at McDonalds (at midnight) than it was for me to do it on the lanes. But it didn’t matter. No one cared. This was a handicap league. The lower your average, the higher your handicap. I could see success written all over my scorecard.
Other aspects of my life started looking up, too. I got a job as a legal videographer. I settled a lawsuit. I met new people. I published my new book. I was rocking and rolling.
But back to bowling. I was really getting into it. At first all I did was go to my Wednesday night league but I was having some real fun. Then I started practicing on the side. I got a little better. Even though I bowled “straight” and with a “house” ball my high game in my first season was a 164. Not bad. In May, the league was over and my team finished somewhere in the middle of the pack. Cool, cool.
Then it was onto the summer league. By now I practiced regularly. My average had gone from 105 to 120. (still bowling straight and still with a house ball.) In the summer though I won first place for the women’s high handicapped game with a 176. Plus my team, “Backend Approach” cinched first place on the last game of the season.
Then in September, the fall season started. I was stoked. I bought my first bowling ball from the pro shop at the Suncoast. It was a swirly pink & purple orb, a 12 lb Rhino. My teammate Casey bought the same ball, only his was orange and black. After that I taught myself to bowl a “sorta” hook. I practiced a lot. In fact, when I wasn’t working, at 8 in the morning, I bowled at least five games, two to three times a week. I also got a bowling coach. Gary taught me (among other things) how to do an approach, release the ball correctly and to hit my “mark.” I joined a second league on Sunday nights. My scores went up. On October 28, 2016, in a practice game, I bowled a 201. Impressive, right?
Soon thereafter on November 8, 2016, I bought another ball. It was a 14 lb, fingertip grip, blue and red beast called The Hammer (which is also one of my nicknames, but as I sit here today that nickname has yet to catch on)
At first, I could not keep this ball from falling off of my hand and my average suffered. But yesterday I bowled a 175 in practice. That seemed like a good sign.
So despite the fact that 2016 is almost over and I can’t really say I’ve done great money-wise or anything else-wise; I do feel, even though I am still really only a beginner, bowling has become my new bestie.
At least for now.
