"out of your element"

Spring cleaning has been on my brain, as you may have noticed, and yet I was unable to confront the boxes that I still have hidden away in the trunk of my car and the huge pile in the basement at my house. I think part of me knows that it may be hard and nostalgic to go through those boxes from Mom and Dad’s basement, and is avoiding that, but I also know that part of me loves to hang out too much and that is the real reason that I did not get to any box sorting this weekend. I did rearrange and “Spring clean” my room, and while everything was being reordered and “feng shui-ed," I was continually astonished at how many tufts of dog fur I found hidden in the dark spots of my room (i.e. under my bed) and in the corners. YUCKO! I am very sure that our dog Toby is in fact balding and has thus far been amazing at hiding that fact from me—but I am on to him now.

I feel like my social calendar has been so busy lately that I have not been able to truly meditate this Lenten season and I am kinda bumming about that. Part of my busyness is due to the fact that I have Cabin fever and since I can’t get outside I have been trying to stay busy indoors as it were. This past Friday I went out for a few beers and bowling with roomie M, her work friends and Chris. Nothing noteworthy came of the night, but it must be said that I fell flat on my ass once when I went to throw my bowling ball. Let’s just say that little line on the alley is there for a reason. Ah…so many good Big Lebowski quotes I would like to use:

The Dude: Walter, ya know, it's Smokey, so his toe slipped over the line a little, big deal. It's just a game, man.
Walter Sobchak: Dude, this is a league game, this determines who enters the next round robin. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?
Smokey: Yeah, but I wasn't over. Gimme the marker Dude, I'm marking it 8.
Walter Sobchak: [pulls out a gun] Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain.
The Dude: Walter...
Walter Sobchak: You mark that frame an 8, and you're entering a world of pain.
Smokey: I'm not...
Walter Sobchak: A world of pain.
Smokey: Dude, he's your partner...
Walter Sobchak: [shouting] Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero!

Well, at least not everyone saw me fall. However, when the guy from the next lane over came to help me up he asked if I was hurt.

“Only my pride,” I said. I guess I was out of my element. Maybe I would have had more luck if I would have remembered to bring my lucky bowling shoes...?