One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

I didn't play golf today. And somehow, I'm still having a very happy day. Rain was in the forecast today. Usually, I might have felt a little disappointed. “Of all days, why does it have to rain today?” But today was different. At around 4:30 a.m., I went for my usual walk with Ruby and Rich. The forecast said the rain would start at 6, but less than three minutes into our walk, I felt a few raindrops. We hadn't had much rain for almost a month, and farmers were already suffering from damage to their crops because of the prolonged dry weather. So this time, I didn't mind the rain coming early at all. Normally, I might have complained, “Oh, come on. Why is it raining already?” But today, I thought, “That's okay, rain. You can come early. Pour as much as you want.” After such a long dry spell, the rain felt like something to be grateful for.  We quickly went to a nearby park so the dogs could do their business, and then we headed home. But just as we were getti...

Today was the first day of my summer vacation. I had a 9-hole golf gathering at 6:30 in the morning, so I woke up around 4 a.m. I took Ruby and Rich for their morning walk, got ready, and drove about 30 minutes to the golf course. It might sound a little crazy to get up that early just to play golf, but during the hot summer, early morning is actually the most comfortable time for me to play. So when I have the chance, I don't hesitate. When I arrived, the band leader was already there. We were divided into two groups of three. But I wasn't placed with my usual friends. Instead, I was paired with two men I had never met before. Since we were strangers, we started our round rather quietly. At the first tee, I stood there with my ball and tee and asked, “May I tee up first?” One of them smiled and asked, “Do you play from the white tees?” That's a question female golfers often get. They kindly let me go first. So I put my tee into the ground and hit my first drive. And… It we...