Giving Thanks

A collection of the best writing in pool.

This article is part of the 25th edition of PoolSynergy, a monthly collection of the best writing on pool. Our lovely hostess this month is Melinda and her appropriately selected theme is “Thankful”.

First, before I begin, I’d like to thank Melinda for giving me the perfect kick in the butt this week to start writing again. I know I’ve totally been slacking but that thing called LIFE just keeps getting in the way.

Where were we? Oh, yeah. Gratitude is one thing in life that I have always tried to be pretty conscious of. More so a couple years ago when my amazing, long-time friend gifted me my very own Gratitude Journal. I committed to writing in it every night before bed for one year and that’s exactly what I did.

Being grateful is a frame of mind. It requires constant awareness and positive thinking. Believe it or not, it takes practice. It’s not easy to be thankful for the most simple things in life that we usually take for granted. When we can truly appreciate how fortunate we are to have a warm meal and a comfortable bed somehow all the other problems can seem pretty insignificant.

So, for this month’s topic, I thought I’d reflect on:

The 10 Wonderful Things Pool Has Brought Into My Life

Basically, had it not been for my involvement with this beautiful sport, I never would have…

1. learned to speak on camera. It was never my intention to end up holding the mic but being in the right place at the right time, and loving the right sport opened this door for me.
2. become a writer. It’s funny. I have only recently referred to myself as “a writer.” I never considered myself a very good writer at all. Heck! English is not even my first language. But, through the surprising support of my peers and community, here I am now, with a syndicated monthly column, a couple feature columns, and a couple blogs, including our baby, PoolSynergy.
3. self published my own book. Had a group of us not been sitting around my friend’s pool table at his Halloween party throwing around D-player-isms, the concept never would’ve come together and I never would’ve researched and learned how to publish my own book.
4. learned to always give 100%. Not that I didn’t always do my best before, but in this sport, you get what you give. Ain’t that the truth?! I have never learned this lesson better than I have with pool. “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good,” Malcom Gladwell (Outliers)
5. realized my passion for teaching pool. Who would’ve known? Over the past couple years, what’s become just as rewarding for me as playing is teaching. I taught violin lessons for nearly 10 years before ever teaching my first pool lesson. The look on my student’s face when he gets it or she shoots her first stop shot is absolutely priceless.
6. acquired such an extensive library. Through our individual years of collecting miscellaneous pool books and magazines, my husband and I have combined our collections, along with some generous donations from other thoughtful friends, to form the massive super-library that occupies a seven-foot tall book shelf filled with magazines spanning 15+ years, and the rarest books and videos that a player could dream of.
7. met so many special friends. Many of whom have graciously invited me to stay in their homes, and even to meet their friends and families. I cherish all my unique friendships.
8. learned so much about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Pool has taught me so much about respect, not only when it comes to earning respect from others but also about giving proper respect where it’s due. This game is humbling. There are a lot of dues to be paid before any winning can take place. Respect is something to never take for granted.
9. experienced pool therapy. When life gets hectic, I sometimes forget that pool is my friend. It’s that friend that no matter how long you go without communicating, you still just pick right back up where you left off. Yeah, pool is there for me whenever I need it.
10. met and married my soul mate. If it were not for pool, I never would have found my one true love that could possibly put up with all my quirks and silliness. For this, I have all the reason in the world to be thankful…

These are some of the many reasons I am so ever thankful I was introduced to pool. Of course, there are so many more things I could am thankful for but I’ll let you have your turn now.

This article is the 25th of a series of posts written in coordination with other pool bloggers entitled “PoolSynergy“. This month’s theme is “Thankful” To read other articles on this topic, go to: http://pooljourney.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-thanks.html

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