One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

Today, I completed my biggest project of the year. 🌱 It wasn't a golf tournament. It wasn't a work project. It was my winter vegetable garden. 😂 Jeju has relatively mild winters, so many vegetables can grow outdoors without freezing. If I plant winter cabbage, young cabbage, lettuce, and other vegetables in the fall, I can enjoy fresh vegetables from my own garden throughout the winter. So, I finally completed everything I had planned. A week ago, I cleaned up the entire garden. Three days ago, I spent two full hours turning over the soil with a shovel. I was sweating so much that I felt like I had just come out of a sauna. 😂 And honestly, I loved it. Yesterday, I went to the local market and bought all the seeds and seedlings I needed. This morning, after walking my dogs, I looked at my garden and said: “Ready to go!” 🌱 Then I spent another two hours planting everything according to my plan. Project complete! ✅ Now I am already looking forward to the lon...

When I was younger, I made plenty of mistakes. Some decisions turned out to be the wrong ones. Some paths led me somewhere I never wanted to be. I wish I could say I always made wise choices. I didn't. Life taught me through trial and error. Looking back, however, I don't regret those years. They helped me discover who I really am. Every wrong turn taught me something. Not only about life... But also about myself. One thing I'm grateful for is this. Whenever I realized I was walking in the wrong direction, I didn't stay there for long. I stopped. I changed direction. And I found my way back to myself. I have seen people continue down a path they already know isn't right. Sometimes because they are afraid. Sometimes because they have already invested too much time. Sometimes because changing direction feels like failure. But I have learned something different. Changing direction is not failure. Sometimes it is the bravest decision we can make. Today, my life feels pe...

There was a time when I thought my most exciting years were already behind me. After turning sixty, I imagined my life would become quieter and more predictable. I thought most of my important chapters had already been written. But life quietly smiled and said, "Not yet." This year, something unexpected happened. New golf friends with kind hearts came into my life. I have played golf with many people over the years, but this year, I felt something different. I met people who brought warmth, kindness, and positive energy into my everyday life. I also received more golf invitations from wonderful people, and those moments reminded me how precious human connections are. I realized something: New happiness does not always come from big changes. Sometimes, it comes from new relationships, simple conversations, and ordinary days that suddenly feel special. When I started writing my blog, I never planned to find something extraordinary. I just wanted to record my thoughts about golf...

These days, I find myself playing golf with this small group at least twice a month. If we include our 9-hole games, I sometimes see them almost once a week. I didn't plan it this way at first. Actually, when I first joined the group, I thought they were a little too loud and playful for me. I wondered, “Hmm… I wonder if I really fit in with these people.” 😂 But the more I got to know them, the more I realized something. They may joke around a lot, but they are all serious about golf. Most of us are in our early 60s, give or take a few years. We are at similar stages of life, and we have a similar love of golf. More importantly, they are good people. They have good manners. They look out for each other. Sometimes, when we run into each other at the driving range, someone will even offer me a cup of coffee. Those little things mean more to me than they might realize. Our band leader is another reason I enjoy this group. He is quick-witted, confident, and has a way of ...