Pool. What a difference a day can make. How is it possible that one day you literally can’t miss and you run rack after rack, then the very next day everything falls apart? It’s as if the pool gods got together a couple days ago and conspired to give me a fleeting glimpse of the Promised Land, then snatched it away as part of some sadistic joke. At my practice session yesterday, I couldn’t hit anything! To make matters worse, it was also a league night and I got absolutely plastered! It’s a mad mad mad mad world!
I think I now have a greater appreciation and understanding of my attraction to pool. Many studies of people with gambling addictions have shown that random and unexpected feedback in the form of positive rewards (like a slot machine) can lead to addictions. As a parallel, the seemingly random nature of my pool shooting acumen may actually be the cause of my attraction to the game. I can shoot pretty good for days, then suddenly I shoot the lights out and think that I’m getting close to my goal of playing at the pro level, then just as suddenly I revert back to playing at a level that makes me want to break my cue and call it quits. Arrrgggghhhh!
I guess today is back to basics day for me. I’ll start at the beginning. I’ll say to myself, “OK, this is a cue stick. This is what you hit the cue ball with. No, no, no! Hit the cue ball with the end of the stick that has the leather tip on it. Yes, just like that. Very good…”
Angle of Reflection 
I had a friend who was an opera singer and did a lot of mental training which I think was applicable to pool. She said that they always tried to look at those moments of perfection as a gift from god…be open to them, receive them, appreciate them for what they were and then let them go, without expectation of them ever returning. Otherwise, a perfect performance on Monday, could trigger a whole week of mediocre ones.
Very good advice. I will relish the memory, as it lets me know what is possible, and will inspire me to be the best I can be. Thanks!