One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

I think I finally understand something about life. Nobody can love me exactly the way I can love myself. That doesn’t mean I don’t want people in my life. I do. I want good people around me. I want someone to have lunch with, laugh with, talk about golf with, and sometimes just say, “That was fun.” But I don’t need anyone to become the main character of my life. My life is already my life. So I came up with a new rule for my 60s: Life will be my show time. People can join the show. They can laugh with me. They can have lunch with me. They can even steal a little scene or two. But nobody gets to take over the stage. 😎 I spent many years trying to understand people and relationships. Now I think it can be much simpler. If someone makes my life warmer, funnier, or more interesting, welcome. If someone makes my life complicated, I can simply step back. No drama. No big goodbye speech. Just… “Okay, take care.” 😂😀 At 60, I finally know that loving someone does not mean giving them the ste...

While watching a movie, I heard a sentence that stayed with me. It said that when two people meet, especially when they get married, it is like two rivers coming together. But we should not sacrifice ourselves just to fill the other person's river. I had never heard this expression before, and I found it very interesting. In my parents' generation, people often made many sacrifices to support each other. That was how they showed love and kept their marriages together. But times have changed. In Korea, many couples now share their wedding expenses equally. At first, this idea felt a little strange to me as someone over 60. But gradually, I began to understand it. Sharing wedding expenses equally is not just about money. Perhaps it also means that both people want to live as equals after marriage. Now that I am over 60, I have come to believe that this kind of balance matters in all human relationships, not just marriage. By balance, I do not mean that everything must be divided ...

Sometimes, people test me. “Let me see how she reacts.” “Maybe this is okay.” “Maybe she will say yes.” Sometimes, their actions can feel rude or uncomfortable. But I have started to think about this differently. It is their freedom to try. It is my freedom to respond. I cannot control what another person does. I can only control what I do next. So, if someone suddenly asks me to play golf, I do not always say yes right away. I can simply say, “Let me check my schedule.” Then I take a few minutes and think about it. Do I really want to go? Do I have the time? Does it fit my day? The same thing applies when someone invites me to a gathering. Being invited does not mean that I have to go. And when someone who has not contacted me for a very long time suddenly reaches out, I can decide how I want to respond. I do not have to be angry. I do not have to judge them. And I do not have to say yes just because they asked. I can simply make my own decision. Before 60, I often did things because ...