Bowling

However, as soon as I put those fancy shoes on and find the ball I will abuse as I ungracefully throw it down the lane, any pride I had about my athletic ability comes crashing down around my rented shoes.  So, when my team, 5 seconds after I found out who they were, said we were going bowling to create a memory, I somewhat cringed at the thought.   I was sure that we would certainly create a memory – mostly centered around the jokes and sarcasm about my low score.  And to make matters worse, my ankle was still the size of a small state at that point (a whole different blog!)

 

And the game played out much like I expected – me, dead last and getting more frustrated with each pin that wasn’t falling down.  So, when the next game came around, I opted out.  My ankle was hurting and perhaps, so was my pride.  My teammates took up my slack and bowled in my place.  Each of them took a turn for me trying out different bowling styles that they were too anxious to try under their own name for fear of getting a low score.  But I had already paved that road for them, so the fear of mediocrity was low at this point.  And with each left handed bowl, granny bowl, and backwards bowl I saw my score climbing to a higher version of itself from the previous game.

 

And as I stared at the higher number next to my name, I began to realize something – my team makes me better than I am!  They gave me a higher score than I was able to get for myself.  That is revolutionary for me because I like to be able to do things and do them well.  So, to surrender to a poor performance in bowling at our first time as a “team” and allow others to take up where I failed, was a big deal for me.  I am praying that I will continue to see it this way as we journey through the next year together.  It will be hard to let go of my abilities and trust in the team’s abilities.  But I am praying that I will surrender my control to the ones that make me better!