May 29

Written by:
5/29/2008 8:36 AM 

I am a cheap date.  That is always how I describe myself when I find something ordinary that makes me smile.  I am so easily pleased, it is a little scary.  I tell my husband that it doesn't take much to entertain me (thus, the cheap date description).  I know somewhere inside my head that as an adult I really shouldn't be getting as much pleasure and joy from small things, but that doesn't stop me.

Just yesterday, I went bowling with my mom and dad just like I do every Wednesday.  My mom and I bowl while my dad gives us pointers in the fine art of bowling.  Both of them have been excellent bowlers, in fact, my mom still wears me out on the lanes.  I found the coolest ball at Goodwill years ago.  It is many shades of blue all swirled together.  Kind of reminds me of the 60's.  (1960's for those of you who are young and wondering what in the cat hair the 60's are.)  And, since it is a light ball, my mom and I both use it.  Someone at the bowling alley thought we might could use another light ball and so they brought me a hot pink one from the office.  A ten pounder for a lightweight like me.  Unfortunately, the new ball did not improve my game, but I really liked bowling with a pink ball.  One time, when it was my turn, I leaned down to pick up the ball and noticed something I had not seen.  In addition to the two finger holes at the top and the hole for your thumb, there was something else.  It was a little bullseye design in between them that looked like a nose.   The combination of those four things together looked like a little face.  A little hot pink face.  A little hot pink face with a very surprised expression.  

Because what good is a discovery like that if you can't share it, I showed it to my mom.  She thought it looked like a face too, upon closer examination, and after I modeled the same look on my own face.  And then,  I had what would probably be the strangest thought to someone else.  I wanted to get my camera and take a picture of the little face on my bowling ball!  I even thought of a name for the picture- "Imagine My Surprise"- because the thumb hole in the ball had the perfect expression of surprise like when a mouth makes an 'O'.  The bullesye for a nose was kind of funny too.  It made me laugh just to see it and I thought maybe it would make other people laugh too.  It made my mom laugh.  It also made the guy that works at the bowling alley laugh, but I couldn't really tell if he was laughing at the little face, or at me.

So, see why I described myself in those terms?  I think joy can be found pretty much anywhere if you are willing to look for it.  Believe me.  If you can find joy looking at a hot pink bowling ball with a little surprised face in a bowling alley, you can find it anywhere!

Copyright ©2008 glenda clark