One lesson I learned at an early age was "Never beat a lady at pool" and I have always stuck to that. If she's really good ya shoot your best but if you get the kill shot, let it pass. It has always served me well.

Tonight I walked from my motel room to the bar. There was nobody else in the place. I got to talking with the bartender and she asked me "Do you shoot pool?" I gave her my standard answer "Badly". She invited me to shoot a game.

I should say here that I grew up shooting pool and throwing darts. I am much better at darts than pool, but am not exactly a slouch at pool. I carry custom made darts in my truck as well as a custom made pool cue.Neither of which I had with me at the moment and didn't feel the need to walk out and get.

We shot a few games. She wasn't too bad actually. Of course she won all of the games, except for the two in which she accidentally knocked in the 8 ball. I did my best to shoot a good game but not quite good enough to make her feel bad. I did make a few shots just to let her know that I knew what I was doing, but didn't run the table on her at any time. We both had fun.

She seemed a lot more cheerful after our games so I think I did a good thing. One can be so competitive as to refuse to lose a silly game, or one can use the game to benefit someone else. I think the latter can actually be a lot more fun. I could have beaten her numerous times but decided to flub a shot here and there just to prolong the game. I actually had far more fun that way.

I learned something about her life, her living child (today is her son's 7th birthday) and the one that passed away at an early age, and much more. I doubt I would have got to know this person half as well if we hadn't spent a little time just shooting pool and taunting each other. Besides, it was a lot of fun. And I made her laugh a couple of times, which I especially enjoy. For me there is nothing better than making a fellow human being laugh.

I had a pretty good time in there with just myself and the bartender. She's not exactly what one would consider a pretty woman physically, but if one takes the time to know her she's a beautiful person. A beautiful soul is far more attractive than a beautiful body in my humble opinion.

I do love getting to know new people. It's what makes the world worth living in as far as I am concerned. Some I like, some I don't, but they are all interesting.