Bowling for Life

As I was bowling with my friends tonight and we were all knocking down pins (or attempting to), I could not help but think how similar bowling was to life. In bowling, the person takes the ball, aims as best they can at the pins, rolls, and lets them fall where they may, hoping for a good roll, and even better, a strike. As a friend was taking her turn, the thought popped into my head that life is very much like that. Sometimes, we have no choice but to pick up the ball, aim it, let it go, and whatever happens, happens. Life is the bowling ball. We can aim, shoot, and then gutter ball. Or, we can get lucky and get a strike. There's no telling what will happen. Once we let it go, it is out of our hands. Granted, there is a certain skill involved in bowling. But I also believe it comes down to luck. Sometimes a horrible bowler gets lucky and knocks down nine pins, but the better bowler gets a gutter ball. Hey, it happens. I saw it happen many times tonight. There are many times in life where we may not have a choice but to play things out this way. It's not the easiest way to play at life, or even at bowling. It can be nerve racking, not knowing what is going to happen. But sometimes, it is the only way to play the game.