Easy as playing bowling

A few days ago, I went bowling. There were six of us friends, and none of us had much experience. However, even without experience, it's one of those activities you can do without being judged (at least not in this group) for not knowing how to play or even for having no idea what you're doing. We've done this twice before, and every time I'm the worst player.

I have no coordination whatsoever, and when I throw to one side, it ends up on the other. It makes no sense because I even imitate the movements that others make, and yet, in these three games of approximately three hours each, I have only hit all the pins once, and as I said, I always have the lowest score. But for my friends, it hasn't been that difficult; they've even learned techniques to do it.

The thing is, when I see that I'm the loser at the end of the game, that feeling of having fun turns into a constant question: why is it so easy for others, without practice or anything, and for me it's the hardest thing in the world? Obviously, it's not something that affects me too much, but it does make me think, and the only conclusion I can come to is that it's not as easy as they say.

In bowling, as in life, you have to find a ball that fits your hand well, but if the place is crowded and everyone has already picked out a ball before you, there aren't many options left and you have to take what's available. This is a problem because if you can't grip the ball comfortably, you obviously won't be able to throw it properly. In my case, it always falls suddenly, then slides instead of rolling from the start.

But I have learned something from bowling, and that is that in life, people speak from their skills, their experiences, and even their abilities, and they make statements that are not true for others. The idea that bowling is the easiest thing in the world is not true for everyone, because at least for me, it's more of a way to prove that I can be incredibly bad every time and not even by chance end up in a place other than last.

And yes, life is like that too. Many claim that this or that is very easy, but there are those who struggle with all their might and fail and get frustrated because everyone else seems to be doing well and making it look so easy. The thing is, for me, bowling is something I can go to laugh and not have any scores for me, so I don't feel like I have to compete and, when I don't succeed, feel like I'm super bad. I feel like without that pressure I could do better, at least in this case where the game is just for fun.

And of course I'll go back, because even though some of us aren't so coordinated in life, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that we're all capable of learning, and sooner or later, by doing it so much, I'll figure it out, or rather, I'll learn how to play well, or at least in a unique way that's all my own, knocking down all the pins with a single throw. And here I also think about life: keeping trying is part of it, and it is these falls and failures that fill us with experience.