When gutter balls are better than strikes!

[Matthew Mussolini]

Winning feels better than losing, no doubt!

But losing I think is often better for our souls, if you believe in souls, and if you don't believe in souls, you probably still can appreciate a proud person becoming more humble.

I am currently bowling with three other people, and won the first game, feeling confident to win the second as well.

The performance during the second game was like 115, which isn't bad for me, but didn't win, and had some frustrating gutter balls.

The first game was free of gutter balls. Gutter balls were better than strikes or spares, because they taught lessons in patience, and mortification of pride.

mor·ti·fi·ca·tion
/ˌmôrdəfəˈkāSH(ə)n/noun

1. great embarrassment and shame.
   "they mistook my mortification for an admission of guilt"
2. the action of subduing one's bodily desires.
   "mortification of the flesh has a long tradition in some religions. " I find pride doesn't serve myself or a lot of people well. Losing the game was better than the time I won. That doesn't mean you aim for the gutter though.

[Meliai]

Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;

You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,

And sweeter to my heart than all world-glory.



Defeat, my Defeat, my self-knowledge and my defiance,

Through you I know that I am yet young and swift of foot

And not to be trapped by withering laurels.

And in you I have found aloneness

And the joy of being shunned and scorned.



Defeat, my Defeat, my shining sword and shield,

In your eyes I have read

That to be enthroned is to be enslaved,

And to be understood is to be leveled down,

And to be grasped is but to reach one’s fullness

And like a ripe fruit to fall and be consumed.



Defeat, my Defeat, my bold companion,

You shall hear my songs and my cries and my silences,

And none but you shall speak to me of the beating of wings,

And urging of seas,

And of mountains that burn in the night,

And you alone shall climb my steep and rocky soul.



Defeat, my Defeat, my deathless courage,

You and I shall laugh together with the storm,

And together we shall dig graves for all that die in us,

And we shall stand in the sun with a will,

And we shall be dangerous.


Kahlil Gibran (aren't we lucky there is a Kahlil Gibran poem for every occasion?)

[Matthew Mussolini]

The game I lost, I learned from. The game won felt good, but didn't teach me anything, or help my tolerance to frustration go up, help me grow more patient, humble, and meditate on valuable things like: you can be more of a winner through failure.

[Matthew Mussolini]

In the sense that failure can help you be more humble, patient, empathetic, + grow in virtue, regardless of what you failed at.

[Pete's Draggun]

I found R̶e̶d̶ Pink Napoleon......

[Beach Ball Bitch]

Great Matt, games are more about the interaction with others in my opinion, spending time with people. Unless one is professional in a sport and extremely competitive. There aren’t really any losers in a game where you are there for fun and to get out. . You actually have to care about your score, which is a silly thing to care about, in my opinion. When I do a gutter ball I jump up like it is a strike and celebrate that. Lol. I hav3 not been bowling in years, not since my friends daughters 5th birthday party.

[Jessica]

Yes, I agree. It's good to be a gracious winner when you do win, because otherwise losing feels much worse.

[Audiogen]

I can understand taking an L and learning from a game where you played decent and someone just happened to play better...

But bowling a bunch of gutter balls and feeling like you need the fucking bumpers set up ain't better than bowling a bunch of strikes.

[Beach Ball Bitch]

Try getting a gutter ball with bumpers. That is fun

[neonspectraltoast]

It's good to be a good sport.

[Undies]

A few months ago I was bowling and I got a nine with my first ball. When I went to pick up the remaining pin, I threw a gutter ball, but then at the last second the ball popped out of the gutter and made the spare. That was pretty cool, although a strike still would have been better.

[Meliai]

Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;

You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,

And sweeter to my heart than all world-glory.



Defeat, my Defeat, my self-knowledge and my defiance,

Through you I know that I am yet young and swift of foot

And not to be trapped by withering laurels.

And in you I have found aloneness

And the joy of being shunned and scorned.



Defeat, my Defeat, my shining sword and shield,

In your eyes I have read

That to be enthroned is to be enslaved,

And to be understood is to be leveled down,

And to be grasped is but to reach one’s fullness

And like a ripe fruit to fall and be consumed.



Defeat, my Defeat, my bold companion,

You shall hear my songs and my cries and my silences,

And none but you shall speak to me of the beating of wings,

And urging of seas,

And of mountains that burn in the night,

And you alone shall climb my steep and rocky soul.



Defeat, my Defeat, my deathless courage,

You and I shall laugh together with the storm,

And together we shall dig graves for all that die in us,

And we shall stand in the sun with a will,

And we shall be dangerous.


Kahlil Gibran (aren't we lucky there is a Kahlil Gibran poem for every occasion?)

[Matthew Mussolini]

Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;

You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,

And sweeter to my heart than all world-glory.



Defeat, my Defeat, my self-knowledge and my defiance,

Through you I know that I am yet young and swift of foot

And not to be trapped by withering laurels.

And in you I have found aloneness

And the joy of being shunned and scorned.



Defeat, my Defeat, my shining sword and shield,

In your eyes I have read

That to be enthroned is to be enslaved,

And to be understood is to be leveled down,

And to be grasped is but to reach one’s fullness

And like a ripe fruit to fall and be consumed.



Defeat, my Defeat, my bold companion,

You shall hear my songs and my cries and my silences,

And none but you shall speak to me of the beating of wings,

And urging of seas,

And of mountains that burn in the night,

And you alone shall climb my steep and rocky soul.



Defeat, my Defeat, my deathless courage,

You and I shall laugh together with the storm,

And together we shall dig graves for all that die in us,

And we shall stand in the sun with a will,

And we shall be dangerous.


Kahlil Gibran (aren't we lucky there is a Kahlil Gibran poem for every occasion?)

Beautiful!