More and more, and less and less...

[Zues126]

I want to thank all the posters. Those that have been kinder than I deserve, and those I have butted heads with. This forum is a special place, and there is so much good will I just can't say enough how appreciative I am for you all.

My story today involves pool, but I've been thinking about how similar it is to any journey, whether DB, personal growth, etc.

So I am starting to play pool again. My sitch is calming down. I have a little time to play. So I'm hitting some balls. I will be doing much more when I have a table in my home again come summer, but for now I will at least enjoy it when I can. There is a series of tournaments that kicked off yesterday, I am playing all of them. I am EXTREMELY out of practice, but there's only one way to change that...get moving. I don't have the same fire I used to, but I hope to offset that with experience and calmness. I went over to my friend's place Friday night to practice for the tournament yesterday.

As I thought about playing pool again, it formed an interesting picture in my mind. See, I've played pool for many years. I've been around the block. I KNOW what to expect.

-There will be times when I play good.
-There will be times when I play poorly.
-There will be tournaments I win.
-There will be shots I choke on and lose.
-There will be times when I am at one with the moment.
-There will be times when I am frustrated.
-There will be times it is bliss.
-There will be times when it is torture.

I thought of all of this, and just kind of nodded and shrugged. But see, what I used to do, and what most players do, is they think pool is about the wins, the bliss, the being one with the moment. They think that's the point of it all. And that when that happens it's awesome, and when it doesn't happen that's a problem. Then they work really hard thinking if they work hard enough they'll get that more of the time.

But to me, it is clear this all comes with the territory. I actually visualized it like walking a trail around a mountain. I have a trail map. It shows all of those bullets above as different stops on the path. This is the path. You can't get to one part of the path without going through the others. And here's the bigger point...since you're going to walk the whole trail, you have to make a decision...are you going to be miserable 90% of the time and only enjoy your hike on those few stretches of road that are downhill and open skies? Or are you going to decide that you just like hiking, and enjoy the entire walk?

I have learned to like the whole road. I have learned that the wins are rare and short lived. The days where it comes together like magic are few and far between. But I love the game. And even when it's not fun, it's fun, because I understand the totality of the entire journey. When I started playing again on Friday night, I was signing up for the WHOLE WALK. Not just a part of it. I wanted the entire experience. I was ready for all of it!

Yesterday I competed. I drew one of the toughest players first round, he was the best in MN for 20 years. Race to 10 games. It was a nail biter. It went 8-8, then I got an unexpected shot and was able to win 10-8. There were many people watching our match and it was fun to perform for a crowd again. I really smoothed out and played a good set. I continued on winning until I reached the finals. I ended up playing my friend, the one that won the tournament 2 weeks ago. Because we're friends and go to tournaments together we split anything we win, so when we met in the finals we weren't really playing for a difference in money, but I wanted to play well for the crowd and I wanted to win the set. I did not. He played really well and beat me handily 10-4. It was a little closer than it sounded because it was 6-4 at one point and a few subtle differences could've turned it around, but he's an awesome player and deserved the win for sure.

So again, a little success, some cool moments, some shortcomings. All part of the road.

I guess my point is that when you enjoy the entire road, you can enjoy yourself more of the time, and you will be less anxious. Anxiety comes from trying to prevent the unpreventable. Competitors that try not to choke...yikes, good luck with that. Why not just laugh when you chunk a ball into the first diamond? It's funny if you're not too pissed off to laugh.

So in DB, and in life. We're all adults. We are learning what life is. Where it takes us. So let me ask...how much of your journey are you going to enjoy? Just the parts where everything is going the exact way you want it to? Or can you breath deep and find some appreciation, humor, and joy when the trail leads you through the alligator infested swamps?