If I am being completely honest, the thought of changing my new occupation has crossed my mind one too many times. However, I am bound and determined to give bowling the effort that I gave up on so long ago. You see, bowling and I, we have a history. We used to meet on Tuesday nights for the dreaded small-town bowling league. My mother would play with her teammates, while my brothers and I had our own lane off to the side. While they had the times of their lives, I was in a personal battle figuring out how one could make the heavy ball go anywhere but the gutter lane. To my family, the bowling alley was a place. A place where they had fun and exciting experiences playing their favorite game. To me, the bowling alley was an empty room with only me, a ball, and a gutter lane.
Through our recent reading, I realized that the bowling alley has always been a space for me. It was a space that I never felt welcomed me. A space that seemed to be a container of experiences for everyone else but me. I first worried that this would affect my engagement with my new occupation. However, I now have decided to look at the bowling alley through a different lens. The bowling alley was always a place for me. It was a place where my family got to be together. A place where we experienced being active and having fun. A place where we laughed... even if it was at all my gutter balls. Through my experience in relearning my most dreaded occupation; I want to reframe the thought of the bowling alley just being a space. I want to experience this occupation with the open mind that it is and always will be a place for me, but this time maybe I can keep a few more balls in the lanes.
The first thing I knew I needed to do before giving bowling a fair shot was to look into bowling shoes. I remember never particularly enjoying the feeling of rented bowling shoes, and I do have a minor shopping addiction. Therefore, I knew that with new shoes I would be excited to try out my new occupation. I order bowling shoes from Amazon, and they should be here within a week. I am excited to try them out because I feel like it will get me into the bowling alley in the first place. One might think that this assignment should be enough to get me into the bowling alley, but they do not understand how long I have been avoiding any building with "bowling" in the title.
While I was waiting for my shoes, I decided that it might be helpful to get some tips from the professionals. Therefore, I went to YouTube. I watched videos on better ways to hold the ball and the basics of the approach. Turns out that throwing the ball from in between your legs isn't the most recommended option. I am excited to get my new shoes and try out the new tips next week at the bowling alley. Wish me luck!
Hi Sami, I think it is great and shows a lot of determination that you are sticking it out with bowling even though you have negative previous experiences and it feels like something that you don't look forward to. I also dislike bowling so you are not alone. I think it can be hard to do something that others find so easy and fun when it is frustrating for you. The way you talked about how the place of the bowling alley really meant a lot and had positive associations for your family compared to how it felt like an empty place for you was a great example of space vs place. It is true that different spaces can turn into a place with entirely different meanings depending on the individual. The occupation can even be the same but the meaning associated with the space can still be different and I think this is an important thing to keep in mind during our careers. We need to try to make a space feel like a place with positive memories for our clients.
ReplyDeleteMy question is do you see the idea of the space of the bowling alley changing into a place for you by the end of the semester and if so do you think there is anything you can do to give it positive associations?
Hey Brenda, Thanks for the comment. I hope to be able to take the bowling alley from a space to a place. I think this was my main priority when choosing this occupation. I knew it was something I struggled with before and felt like it was important to get something else out of it. So far, I am learning that inviting friends and family to participate in my occupation with me has helped give it positive associations. I think throughout this process I will continue to do this and other small things to help change my perspective and experience into more of a place overview.
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