We had a family bowling afternoon last week.
Even though I wasn’t attached to winning (I represented the older generation), once the ball touched my hands I felt the urge to show off what I knew about bowling. I was never an expert bowler, but I was a respectable league member in my twenties. Never mind that I had not bowled for thirty years. It’s like riding a bike, right?
My confidence quickly melted. I knocked down one pin in my first frame. Six in the next and then back down to two in the third frame. Halfway through the game, my score was a measly 21.
Nothing I did seem to work when I tried to adjust my throw. So I quit being frustrated, laughed at myself and decided to bowl backwards. I moved across the alley and threw the ball from the other side, opposite from where I was used to.
This time, I threw a spare. Then I had two strikes in a row. Then another spare. I ended the tenth frame with a spare as well. I cheered as I my final score of 115 showed up on the screen.
This was a great reminder to me that when I give up knowing, pushing and expecting, magic can happen.
When I quit knowing what to do and believing I know better how things get done than my family, friends and colleagues, I am free to explore and learn. I am free to see new possibilities. I am free to have fun.
What can you give up knowing today?
Life is much more fun and magical when you are curious to learn and experiment instead of already knowing what to do.
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