Life is Good – July 17, 2009

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Thursday afternoon this week found me, once again, in a bowling alley. One might wonder if I’m getting a little obsessive about this bowling thing, and that may be true. But although I have come to love the challenge of the game, being obsessive was not my reason for being at the lanes this time. I was there because my sister and her kids wanted to get out of the house and do something fun.

Since their move back here from Chicago earlier this summer, my sister and her husband have been extremely busy, acclimating to new jobs, trying to get settled in a new house and making it a home. As happy as I am that they are back within easy distance, there just hasn’t been much opportunity to see one another thus far. My sister took a break from her work on Thursday afternoon. She called and asked if I wanted to do something with them. When I asked what it was they wanted to do, the general consensus among her kids was, “I dunno.”

Several ideas were tossed around, including some outdoor activities. But the weather was a bit on the cool side and the wind was strong. My niece shunned the idea of an outdoor activity. My nephews, nine and eleven years old, excitedly cast their vote for bowling. And so it was decided. The afternoon also found Jake free from his own work obligations. He thought it would be fun to come along and entertain his little cousins.

It wasn’t long before my sister showed up in front of the house, my little nephews, Danny and Donny scrambling to the back of the van to make room for Jake. My twenty year old niece, Lauren slid out of the front passenger seat. She insisted I sit there next to her mom while she slipped to the middle of the vehicle to sit next to Jake. It was a short drive to the bowling alley and soon everyone piled out of the van.

The time we spent together was spectacular and it had little to do with the fact that we were doing something I enjoy doing anyway. What made the day so special was the simple fact of being with people I love and have missed so much while they were far away. For a few hours, work and chores were forgotten and worries left behind while we played together and enjoyed each other’s company.

We formed two teams, the boys bowling on one lane and the girls on the one next to them. No one bowled especially well and no one particularly cared. We merely had fun. There were squeals of laughter from Lauren as we watched her mom being silly and  ”shaking her tail feather” at the start of her turn. I have missed that laughter. There was some singing along with the music that played through the speakers. Movie lines were quoted; silly ones from Tommy Boy and Wayne’s World. A bit of goofy  dancing took place. Lauren fake-pouted at her losing scores. There was a lot more laughter.

I loved watching the little boys as they tried to master their bowling skills. They are  skinny, little things and the heavy bowling balls threatened to topple them over. But those boys were not going to give up. Each would make his approach toward the lane, the right hand weighing heavily toward the floor with the weight of the ball, the left arm held straight out for balance. Next there would be a rather unsteady approach, their feet gaining speed as the ball pulled them forward. When their toes reached the line, each would swivel at the waist and fling the ball clumsily with every ounce of strength he had in him, his feet lifting off the ground from the force of the throw. Oftentimes, the ball ended up in the gutter. Sometimes pins were knocked down. There were even a few strikes. Their form and antics were funny, but the best part was the celebration and encouragement Danny and Donny shared with one another after each turn. One would watch the other and pump a celebratory fist in the air at his brother’s success. They slapped their hands together in high-fives. One would toss an arm around the shoulders of the other and tell him what a great job he had done. Serious-looking conversations took place, though the music and noise prevented me from hearing what was actually said. Danny and Donny seemed to share a rare sense of comraderie that I haven’t often seen among siblings. Throughout all of this, Jake took care of his cousins, noticing when Donny appeared to be getting tired and going to find him a lighter ball to ease his frustration.

As it goes with anything that takes us away from the drone of everyday life, our afternoon was over too soon. I returned home to face chores that had yet to be tackled, thinking for a moment that my time might have been better spent checking things off the to-do list rather than playing. It was only a moment before I brushed the thought from my mind.  The cleaning and laundry will always be there waiting for me. Opportunities to be with the ones I love may not. I’m glad I chose to spend some time playing this week.

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