One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

This morning, I was sitting in my living room, working on my notebook. I was quietly focused on my computer when I suddenly felt something. I looked up. Ruby was sitting on her bed, watching me. It wasn't unusual. Ruby often watches me like that. But this time, I stopped what I was doing and looked back into her eyes. We just looked at each other for a brief moment. Maybe a minute. Nothing special was happening. She didn't want food. She didn't want to go for a walk. She wasn't asking me for anything. She was simply looking at me. And I looked back at her warmly. Then I turned back to my computer and continued writing. About a minute later, I happened to look over at her again. Ruby's head had slowly fallen down. She was already asleep. I smiled. That's all that happened. But somehow, that one little moment touched me deeply. To be honest, I wasn't always someone who particularly loved dogs. When Ruby and Rich first became part of my l...

At the beginning of this week, I didn't have any special plans. The rainy season had just begun, and the weather forecast called for rain throughout the week. I thought it would be a quiet, uneventful few days. But life has a funny way of surprising us. Yesterday, I was unexpectedly invited to play golf with good people. That same evening, my younger sister quietly sent me a box of fresh corn and vegetables without saying much. Earlier in the week, I also received a call from the police asking if I could help as an interpreter. Normally, I wouldn't have been available in the evening, but because it was exam week, my schedule happened to be open at exactly the right time. Sometimes I feel that life brings me unexpected blessings more often than hardships. When I was young, my mother often joked that I had been born with good financial luck. Believe it or not, she said that on the very day I was born, my father won a lottery prize and brought home more money than usual. Whether t...

For many years, I believed that the second half of life should become quieter. I thought peace meant protecting my small world. Living simply. Enjoying golf. Taking care of Ruby and Rich. Reading books. Growing vegetables. That seemed like enough. If you had asked me ten years ago whether I would openly share my mistakes with the world, my answer would have been simple. "Never." Back then, I would have shared only my good shots, my achievements, and my successes. The rest would have stayed hidden. But something changed this year. When I turned sixty, I didn't just grow older. I changed the direction of my life. Instead of asking, "How can I protect my peace?" I started asking, "How can my experiences help someone else?" That one question changed everything. Today, many people post perfect moments on social media. Beautiful trips. Beautiful swings. Beautiful lives. There's nothing wrong with that. But I've discovered that perfect stories rarely ...

For almost ten years, Ruby and Rich had a favorite morning walking trail. It was quiet before sunrise, with very few people around. We walked there almost every day, and it became part of our routine. Two months ago, everything changed. Ruby accidentally fell off a cliff during one of our walks. Thankfully, she recovered, but after that day, I never took that trail again. It wasn't only because it was dangerous. I simply didn't want every walk to begin with anxiety instead of joy. Rich loved that trail even more than Ruby did. Normally, when Rich wants to go somewhere, he lets me know. He gently but firmly pulls the leash toward the direction he wants. Sometimes I follow him. He enjoys exploring new paths. But something surprised me. For the past two months, every morning we have passed the entrance to that trail. Not once has Rich tried to pull me toward it. I don't know whether he remembers what happened that day or whether he simply senses how I feel. Either way, he quie...

My summer vacation started yesterday with a fun nine-hole golf gathering. Today was the second day of my vacation, and I went straight to my Hwangchil field. To be honest, I was a little worried. Jeju has been extremely hot, and we haven't had much proper rain for almost a month. I hadn't visited the field recently, so I kept wondering if the weeds had taken over. I also wondered if I might have missed a few spots when I sprayed weed killer last time. So, of course, I loaded my weed sprayer and weed killer into the car before leaving. But when I arrived… There were hardly any weeds. What a relief! In fact, today was the first time I had ever taken my weed sprayer to the field and brought it all the way back home without using it. 😂 There were still little things to do. I cleaned up some branches, removed a few vines, and checked the Hwangchil trees carefully to make sure they were doing well in this intense summer heat. I spent about an hour there. But there wasn't much wo...

For a long time, I thought I was the one taking care of Rich and Ruby. After all, I feed them, take them for walks, clean up after them, and make sure they stay healthy. That sounds like a responsible dog owner, doesn't it? But today, I realized something. Maybe they have been taking care of me all along. This morning, Rich woke me up at 4:30 a.m. and asked to go outside. Usually, I would get up and take him for a walk. But I was unusually tired. "Rich, let's sleep one more hour," I told him. To my surprise, he quietly came back inside and waited. No barking. No repeated requests. Just patience. When I was finally ready, we went out together. As I walked through the cool morning air, I found myself feeling grateful. Not because I was taking care of Rich. Because Rich had taken care of me. Ruby has her own gentle way of communicating. When she wants to go outside, she doesn't make a fuss. She simply opens her eyes, looks at me, and slowly wags her tail while lying ...

Some days go just as planned. Most days don't. There is one morning routine I always hope to complete: an early walk with my two dogs, a simple breakfast, practice at the driving range, and a refreshing swim. It sounds like an ordinary routine, but it isn't easy to complete. There are always other appointments, unexpected errands, or mornings when I simply don't have enough energy. Even though I want to do it every day, I usually manage to complete the whole routine only two or three times a week. That was why today felt different. By lunchtime, I realized I had finished everything I had hoped to do that morning. The temperature had already climbed above 32°C, and I didn't feel like cooking. So I prepared a simple lunch: tofu, seasoned perilla leaves from my garden, some sour kimchi, and a can of beer. It was one of the most satisfying lunches I've had in a while. Not because the food was special. Not because of the beer. But because I had already lived the morning ...