One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

This morning, I had a little disaster in my vegetable garden. I had carefully prepared the soil and planted radish seeds at the right time. I wanted to grow my own vegetables for the winter. When the green leaves appeared, I was so happy. I even started picking some young leaves to eat. I thought I was becoming quite an expert gardener! Then, one day, lots of little butterflies began flying around my green radish patch. At first, I didn't worry. They need to eat, too, I thought. A few leaves won't hurt. I even enjoyed watching them fly around my garden. Perhaps they liked my little patch as much as I did. But then something strange happened. The radish leaves started disappearing.😔😕 Yesterday, I thought I would pick some more young leaves to eat. But when I looked closely, there was hardly anything left to pick. What had happened? This morning, I decided to pull out the damaged plants. And then came the surprise. Every time I pulled up a radish plant, little caterpillars dro...

These days, something very small makes me happy. Every time I open and close the screen door in my living room, I smile to myself. “I made this. 😁💓” It was actually pretty hard to make. I struggled with it more than I expected, and there were several moments when I wondered if I could finish it. But after all that work, something funny happened. Every time I open and close the door, I feel a little proud. It reminds me, “I did it.” Maybe this is one kind of small happiness. Then I started thinking about my Hwangchil trees. A few years ago, I planted young Hwangchil trees in Yongsu-ri, Jeju. They were three-year-old saplings, but they were only about 30 centimeters tall and very thin. I was worried that weeds would grow around them and make it difficult for the little trees to survive, so I covered the entire field with expensive black weed-control fabric. I used long U-shaped metal pins and pushed them into the ground between the trees. I even hired people and paid them for a full da...

This morning, I played nine holes of golf. After lunch, I went to the driving range and practiced gently for almost an hour. Then I received a delivery message. My order had arrived! I had ordered two long wall panels two days earlier. For about two years, I had wanted to change the wall behind my sofa. It was not an urgent job, so I kept putting it off. Then, while watching YouTube, I found an idea I liked. 'This is it!' My curtains are ivory, so I thought light wood-colored panels would look good with them. As soon as I received the delivery message, I could no longer concentrate on my practice. I left the range and went straight home. I did not even take a shower before starting the job. But it was not as easy as I had expected. The panels were slightly curved, and I had to attach two large pieces, one above the other. If they were not level or if the edges lifted, I could ruin the whole job. I might even have to throw the panels away. 'I wish someone were here to hold o...

Two weeks ago, I was driving to a golf course on a mountain road in Jeju. I was driving at around 65 km/h, following the speed limit, and I was in a good mood. I was looking forward to my round. Then, suddenly, a truck came out from the right. It happened so fast. I slammed on the brakes with all my strength and hit the horn as loudly as I could. For a moment, I honestly thought, This could have been a very serious accident. If I had reacted just one second later, things could have been completely different. There was also a small truck behind me, so I couldn't simply avoid the situation. Thankfully, the driver behind me reacted well, too. The truck that came out from the right, however, just drove away as if nothing had happened. I was stunned. But I didn't want to ruin my golf day. So I took a deep breath, calmed myself down, and went on to the golf course. I didn't tell anyone. I thought, Everyone came here to enjoy a good day of golf. Why bring this scary story into it?...

It's a rainy day in Jeju, so I'm staying home today. I'm planning to make delicious pork ribs with lots of vegetables and mushrooms. I'll also have some mixed-grain rice and take my time chewing every bite. Sounds like a lovely day, doesn't it? 😊 But there's another reason I'm looking forward to today. I'm going to watch the third round of the Aramco Korea Championship on TV and cheer for Park Sung-hyun. I don't think I've ever personally cheered for a golfer this much before! Yesterday, I watched her second-round highlights again. Her birdie putts had been so close, sometimes missing the hole by just a little. Then came the 17th hole. Her second shot was sitting in a divot, but she still hit a wonderful shot toward the green. Then she made an amazing eagle putt from about 11 meters! And on the final hole, she saved par from a greenside bunker. What a round! I was so happy watching those moments. I wanted to share a little of my recent good luck...

These days, I’m not dating anyone. And honestly, I’m not very interested in dating. I quite like my life the way it is. But somehow, whenever I go to a golf course, I often end up in a group with three men. (smile) When I join a game through a golf group, I’m often the only woman. Three men and one Angie. At first, it felt a little uncomfortable. But then I thought about it. I’m not dating these men. I’m dating golf. The problem is, golf is much better at playing games with me than any boyfriend could be. Yesterday, my driver and 5-wood were unbelievably good at the practice range. I thought, “Ah! My body has finally learned this swing.” I was feeling pretty confident. Then I went back to the practice range the next day, and golf calmly looked at me and said, “Who are you?” For almost 80 minutes, I tried this and that. I thought about my left shoulder. I thought about my arms. I tried to fix one thing and cover another. I was desperately trying to find that beautiful impact again. And ...