The Agony of Defeat

It's Tuesday, Continental League night.  My team is in first place, having gone a tear the last 3 weeks.  I've been on fire for about 2 months, thoroughly enjoying the "Thrill of Victory".  Today, I experienced the "Agony of Defeat".  The team lost all points today, and my own mistake in the last frame of the last game cost the team that last game.

For those who don't recognize those terms, they come from ABC sports back when I was growing up (the late 70's and 80's).  Everyone loves victory, but the true colors of an individual shine while they are going through "The Agony of Defeat".  Sportsmanship reflects integrity, and it is in the losing that sportsmanship shows its' true colors.

Maintaining presence, embodying peace, and being the living love are not easy postures on a day to day basis.  While experiencing a low in competitive sports, they are even more difficult to embrace.  This was my challenge today.  I'm grateful for the experience of this low.  It balances out the highs I've had the past month plus.  It also puts pressure on the "posture" of my being.  Any cracks in my integrity are amplified under such pressure.

I've not always handled myself as well as I did tonight.  Fortunately, I'm open to learning from my mistakes.  Today I took the losing in stride, and was touched that my teammates came up to me to offer their support of my strength as a bowler.

The reason I compete in sports is for the pressure of high performance, and for the pressure that failures bring.  I also enjoy the comaraderie of my fellow competitors.  The past month or so I've enjoyed the highs.  Today I scraped the lows.

It is all in the flow.

In Light............................Td