Sometimes things can seem a bit uncanny, you know? Can the Muse read minds? Is he pre-scientific? Is he clairvoyant? I've ruled out being from outer space because I grew up with him - even though younger brothers do seem alien most of the time.

This isn't the first time it's happened; but, he calls me up and says he just had a brain storm. Why don't I write an article about people like him coming back to bowling, going through the learning curve, and then finally getting it? He didn't quite know the word for it; you know, sticking with things, never giving up, keeping on going on - Perseverance?

So I jot some notes on an available piece of paper and stick it into my idea notebook thinking I'll transfer it into the "permanent" notes in the next few days. Well son-of-a-gun, the very next day at the bowling center, one of my acquaintances tells me he is going to give up bowling because it is just too tough for him. (Twilight Zone theme starts echoing through my mind.)

He is 68 years old, was a heck-of-a bowler in the 1970's, and just can't seem to get back to his 195+ average. In fact, by what everyone told him, with the new high-tech balls and equipment, he should be easily averaging in the 210+ bracket. He hasn't been able to get past 185 for the past year-and-a-half.. I've seen him bowl in leagues and I know he has decent form, approach, and delivery. As with many people of my era, he is a "stroker" as opposed to a "cranker."

It turns out, after more conversation and questioning, that he is verisimilar to my brother, the Muse. That is, he is hard-headed regarding learning about, and embracing the new, subtleties of the sport of bowling. In summary, he is stuck in the '70's and believes that his old knowledge and approach to the game will be enough to get him through. In summary, he is very wrong.

My "Choc-List" for coming back to the game after a long lay off is:

1) Listen - don't be so stubborn that you discount what other bowlers are telling you. Be open minded.

2) Learn - ball surfaces, ball cores. oil patterns, and your adjustments for different conditions have to be studied again. You must be willing to change.

3) Practice - "practice makes perfect." In the absence of getting yourself a coach, be flexible; try new and different things. Experiment to see what works better for you in the modern age of our sport.

4) Persevere - "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." -George Bernard Shaw-

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)