What did the first day of 2023 look like for you?

    This year I already started off on a great note!

    I rekindled my friendships with life long friends and you know what we did today?

Bowled.

    Now to many people, you're probably thinking, wow you went bowling on the first day? How boring. But for me? Probably most of the people here that live in Buffalo, Cheektowaga specifically, we love to bowl!

    My brother actually makes a joke that when you meet someone new and you find out where they live he says to them, "Oh you're from Cheektowaga? What's your average?"

    It's funny because we bowl a lot. I've been in a bowling alley for as long as I can remember. My family and I used to bowl together and it was a great time, until I sucked. I was a bit of a sore loser for a while, I would get upset because I wasn't doing well, wouldn't listen to people trying to help me, and then just fail.

    I was on the bowling team for my high school, then went to a league with my brothers and parents. Eventually, my brothers left the league, I added my friends into the mix and we had a grand time. I bowled at Sunset lanes for a minimum of 13 years. 

    Yes you read that right!

    Anyway, let's get to today. My friends and I signed up for a bowling tournament. We started at 10 am, and I wasn't on the same lanes as them. In fact, I had to bowl with 5 other people I had no idea who they were. But I got out of my introvert shell, introduced myself and guys...

    I had a BLAST!!!

    I was carefree, I engaged in conversations, and I did really well in my games!

    I had never done a tournament before and there was so much going on. After each game you grab your ball, your items and you move to another lane. It threw me for a loop, but I stayed consistent. I had a 165, 175, and 172.

    We had so much fun in the first round, my friends and I did it again! My arm tired out and so my scores reflected that but my last three were 156, 142, and 125.

    Yes, those are great scores. But the people that were bowling, the ones I was with especially, were in mid 200 scores. I even witnessed a 300 today which was crazy!

    But the moral of the story. Today the first day of 2023, I already achieved my goals. I got out of the house, I interacted with people I didn't know, and actually made friends, and I finished today by doing a yoga session to stretch out my muscles. (Throwing a 15 pound ball for 6 games really wears out on your shoulder.)

I started this year with a bang, and I am riding on a great confidence high. I am so proud of myself!

Until next time,

Nicole Lynn