Sometimes dying is not the worst that can happen. Consider the old saw "a fate worse than death". Ever had a friend or loved one so bad off that you earnestly prayed they would die? Tonight. Now. Perhaps the better view of death is not that it is the end of something but rather a door which facilitates transition.
So where was I? Right. It is not pool that has died but its once associated environment -- the classic American pool hall. Those of us around to see the cow's tail clear the fence know what we've lost and why we mourn its passing. Remember though, most of us never saw pool's hey day. We just saw the dancing wisps trailing down the tracks after the express flew through town. I cannot imagine what it was like to actually ride that high balling train.
Nor is not fair to blame this loss on a single factor like bar boxes or for that matter, blame it on anything at all -- it is the nature of the beast. Nothing is forever. We live in a fluid world of constant change.
While I really don't love bar box pool, a bunch of folks do. Who am I to dictate anything? And, truth be told, I did play on bar boxes and passed many good nights doing so -- made the shot of my life on one -- so how bad can I really hate them.
The real point of all this is to observe that it is important to enjoy what is happening, here, now. Make the best of the hand you are holding.
