Union-Bulletin

The one that got away.

Like fish stories, they always seem larger than they really are.

But try to imagine never losing, never being wrong, never faltering - the perfect game.

No errors. No mistakes. Everyone hits, throws, kicks, blocks, catches and runs without flaw.

Yawn ...

How do you perfectly hit off a perfect strike?

How do you perfectly defend a perfect shot on goal?

... impossible?

While perfection as a final destination has its flaws, the journey to that spot - with all its ups and downs, twists, turns, missed shots and dropped balls - remains flawless in its imperfection.

It's the yin and the yang of balance. The taking of the good with the bad without complaint. The inevitable acceptance of mistakes if you do something long enough and push the envelope hard.

It's the scattering of moments when things get lost in the blinding sun or, on an off day, the needle simply cannot be threaded.

It's a bumpy detour just off the smooth road to success that adds a gasp from the crowd and the fuel of frustration to try again. As the old saying goes, "If you're not making a few mistakes, you're not trying hard enough."

We all win and lose at one time or another.

We only fail when we stop trying.

And much like fishing, the ones that get away eventually lead to the ones that don't.