One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

Today was my hospital day. Every three months, I travel to a hospital in Jeju City for a regular checkup. It is quite far from my home, but I have continued going there because it is a general hospital and I also have detailed blood tests twice a year. So this morning, I made up my mind to take the bus. At 7:25 a.m., I arrived at the bus stop. Because there have been more COVID cases around lately, I was already thinking about the long bus ride with my mask on the whole way. I was standing just outside the bus stop, holding my mask in my hand so I could put it on as soon as the bus arrived. And then something unexpected happened. Someone I knew came walking toward me. “Where are you going?” “I’m going to Halla Hospital. I’m waiting for the bus.” “Oh, I’m going that way, too. Come with me in my car.” What?! 😂 I was simply waiting for the bus, and suddenly a car came instead. He is a restaurant owner who recently opened his second restaurant. We also happen to be members of the same gol...

It rained a lot yesterday and today. I had actually been waiting for the rain. A while ago, I planted cabbage seeds in my little vegetable garden. Soon, tiny cabbages began growing everywhere, very close together. They were still baby cabbages, not big mature heads. I have been thinning them out little by little and eating the small ones as they grow. The problem is that bugs love cabbage. When the seedlings first appeared, I saw quite a few bugs, so I used a little insecticide. But then, almost no rain came. I kept watering the garden with tap water, but I still felt a little uneasy about eating the cabbages. So I waited. I wanted to wait for a good amount of rain before I started eating them. Finally, yesterday and today, we had plenty of rain. After the rain, I went out to my garden. The wet black Jeju stones were shining, and the little green cabbages were everywhere. Today, I picked a few of the baby cabbages. I washed them well and made a simple Korean soybean past...

I used to think that having a full life meant having a full schedule. Work. People. Appointments. Things I had to do. There was always something filling the next empty space. But somewhere along the way, I started doing something different. I began letting go. Not dramatically. Not with anger. Just quietly. Some relationships no longer needed my time and energy, so I stopped forcing them. Instead, I made more room for the people I genuinely enjoy. And then something interesting happened. I had more space for myself. These days, I still teach English. Sometimes I teach for five hours straight, and yes, I still get tired. 😂 But I don't teach every day anymore. I play golf with friends. I practice at my driving range, which has slowly become my little lounge. I go swimming. I take care of my garden. I walk with Ruby and Rich. And I write. None of these things are particularly extraordinary. But they feel different now. Because I have chosen them. I don't...

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...

This early morning, as usual, I was getting ready to take my two dogs, Rich and Ruby, for a walk. But when I opened my front door, I suddenly froze. There was a dark pile lying right in front of the entrance. I was scared to look at it closely. Honestly, I thought it might be a dead cat because it was about the same size. I didn't pick it up. Instead, my mind was already getting busy and stressed, imagining how I was going to deal with a dead animal first thing in the morning. Then I turned on the light. And guess what? It wasn't a dead cat. It was my golf wear! 😂 After yesterday's round, I had hung all my golf clothes on the laundry line in the side garden. I must have been too tired to remember to bring them inside because I still had to teach until 9 PM. Apparently, one piece of clothing had fallen from the laundry line. And Rich had found it. He must have carried it all the way to my front door and stayed with it through the night. But the most surprising part? Rich di...