The flow: Perfection, Inspiration and the game we love

greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
Perfection…nothing but pure perfection. Ace at the top left, the two-seven tied up downstairs cater-corner, and the nine teetering on the lip of the pocket. I stood there and saw whitey sitting dead on the spot. Hard lie with the two ball tied up like that, I thought to myself. Only way to make sure is to draw her back cross corner straight into the seven and it would leave me the two nine combo. Only one problem your down three games to one in a race to seven with the former going to four! I looked at the shot and knew it had to be made…I balanced myself over the ball, settled into my stance, saw the outcome in my mind and I pulled the trigger. Smooth stroked the ball and she effortlessly made a bee-line towards the seven and SMACK, the look on their faces was priceless…so was mine. I clipped the two nine combo and continued to pound, to force the pace of the game, always staying ahead, never missed a ball in half a dozen racks. For that small minute in time everything stopped, didn't see anyone…or anything I only vaguely remember small details of the match, but I do know I was at my center. Nothing could keep me from running those balls in perfect form, never in trouble always in dead shape. Its all about forgetting, forgiving, and falling into the moment….its important because to me its one the truest forms of expression, poetry in motion…the game is a window inside of you and your greatest hopes and fears will show themselves at the oddest and perfect times. There are levels of control in this game that are unfathomable to most and I welcome the challenge of mastering them until I can no longer hold my cue.

-Grey Ghost
 
Ghost, they will have to pry your cue from you body before you ever dont hold a cue.

Thanks for posting, I'm pretty sure everyone will enjoy this.
 
HueblerHustler7 said:
Ghost, they will have to pry your cue from you body before you ever dont hold a cue.

Thanks for posting, I'm pretty sure everyone will enjoy this.
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your welcome, i put this up on facebook and some of our members asked me to put it here. And you are correct sir.......over my dead body, and everyone knows the greyone aint never gonna die, at least not for many many many years


the one wit de most,
-Grey Ghost
 
You are a special person. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy even rapture, while performing a task You must be involved in an activity with a clear set of goals. This adds direction and structure to the task. The task at hand must have clear and immediate feedback. This helps you negotiate any changing demands and allows you to adjust your performance to maintain the flow state. You must have a good balance between the perceived challenges of the task at hand and your own perceived skills. You must have confidence that you are capable to do the task at hand. See Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
 
greyghost said:
Perfection…nothing but pure perfection. Ace at the top left, the two-seven tied up downstairs cater-corner, and the nine teetering on the lip of the pocket. I stood there and saw whitey sitting dead on the spot. Hard lie with the two ball tied up like that, I thought to myself. Only way to make sure is to draw her back cross corner straight into the seven and it would leave me the two nine combo. Only one problem your down three games to one in a race to seven with the former going to four! I looked at the shot and knew it had to be made…I balanced myself over the ball, settled into my stance, saw the outcome in my mind and I pulled the trigger. Smooth stroked the ball and she effortlessly made a bee-line towards the seven and SMACK, the look on their faces was priceless…so was mine. I clipped the two nine combo and continued to pound, to force the pace of the game, always staying ahead, never missed a ball in half a dozen racks. For that small minute in time everything stopped, didn't see anyone…or anything I only vaguely remember small details of the match, but I do know I was at my center. Nothing could keep me from running those balls in perfect form, never in trouble always in dead shape. Its all about forgetting, forgiving, and falling into the moment….its important because to me its one the truest forms of expression, poetry in motion…the game is a window inside of you and your greatest hopes and fears will show themselves at the oddest and perfect times. There are levels of control in this game that are unfathomable to most and I welcome the challenge of mastering them until I can no longer hold my cue.

-Grey Ghost
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One of the best posts in a long time. "Forgetting, forgiving and falling into the moment." Good stuff! Thanks!!
 
xplor said:
You are a special person. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy even rapture, while performing a task You must be involved in an activity with a clear set of goals. This adds direction and structure to the task. The task at hand must have clear and immediate feedback. This helps you negotiate any changing demands and allows you to adjust your performance to maintain the flow state. You must have a good balance between the perceived challenges of the task at hand and your own perceived skills. You must have confidence that you are capable to do the task at hand. See Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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That's a pretty good synopsis of Csikszentmihalyi's book, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience". Here's the Amazon listing for it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060920432/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/175-7277113-6663933

pj
chgo
 
thanks everyone, I wrote that while I lived up in tulsa........its been sitting on my computer for some years now and thought i would share it and put it up on my FB, i happened upon it yesterday and was asked to put it up here.

-Keebie
 
Patrick Johnson said:
That's a pretty good synopsis of Csikszentmihalyi's book, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience". Here's the Amazon listing for it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060920432/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/175-7277113-6663933

pj
chgo
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and PJ my good old friend glad to know i've fully covered someones good book with so little words and with such bad linguistics lol. I do consider myself a good writer but i fully know that i need an 15 speed editor lol

your friend,
Greyghost
 
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a psychology professor that may have coined the word flow to describe the creative state. But the idea go back to the fifth century B.C. With the teachings of Lao Tzu. To find “the path“ in pool is very rare. To write about it so elequently even more rare.
 
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