The strike face is something I have known about for quite
some time but have not known how to communicate. Since I now have a name for
it, it is easier to describe in a way that all of you can relate to.
I have
gone bowling twice in the past month, and to be honest, I have been on top of
my game. Last time I went was with my basketball team and we competed in teams
of five. Glancing across at the other lanes I saw victory dances, heard
obnoxious cheers of joy and encouragement, and felt the floor rumble with the
falling of balls and pins. When I saw ten pins fall and the ‘strike’ sign
appear on the scoreboard, I would look at the bowler only to see a face all too
familiar to anyone who has ever been bowling; the strike face.
Why am
I writing about bowling all of a sudden? Have I found a new talent? Hardly.
Have I found a new hobby? Probably not. Can I relate this to sex and
relationships? You bet your ass I can.
The
strike face is a face showing much accomplishment, maybe even an increased sense
of self-worth. It looks absolutely ridiculous. It is a cheesy grin which has
failed to be hidden behind the lips of the proud. After a strike, amateur
bowlers feel a pride much like that of William Wallace. An energy creeps up
inside of them making them want to scream, “I am the king of the
woooorrrlllddd!” Like Leo in Titanic. They can feel the biggest smile of their
life begin to sneak onto their face, so they try to hide it but pressing their
lips together as hard as possible. A strategy proven to fail time and time
again.
I have
found that the strike face has been used in other aspects in life. When a man
has finally ‘sealed the deal’ with a woman that is far out of his league, he
has hardly put his pants back on before the strike face has made its way to the
front of his head. “What?” She will ask you, with a sincerely negative tone.
“Nothing J”
You will reply, filling her with insecurity and probably making your chances of
hitting it again multiply. Oh the world we live in.
On
Sunday morning when I catch up with my boys and get filled in on all the gossip
from the past week (especially Saturday night), there are of course some proud
moments. Before we have even said hi to one another, we know who has the best
news – those sporting the ever-so-glamorous strike face. Even as they begin to
recount their tale, they can’t wipe that smug little grin off of their face.
It’s surprising they can even talk.
