One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

Looking back now, it makes me smile a little... The cartoon that stole my heart when I was a teenager was Candy Candy . Candy was not just a cartoon character to me. She was a little dream, a source of excitement, and a friend who reminded me to keep smiling even when life was difficult. Candy was brave. She faced challenges without giving up, and she never lost her bright spirit. To my young heart, she was truly inspiring. But honestly, there was another big reason I couldn't wait for the next episode. His name was... Terrius. (smile) Tall, handsome, with long fingers and a gentle, elegant appearance... He was my dream type back then. Whenever Terrius appeared, my teenage heart would beat faster. Looking back, it is funny. The type of person who made my heart flutter as a teenager is completely different from what I value today. But that excitement was real. I wanted to read the entire Candy Candy series so badly. And I have a funny childhood memory related to it. My best friend...

It rained all day today. The air was heavy with fog and humidity, so instead of going out, I stayed home and got some work done. I have a golf round planned with my friends on Monday. The forecast says it may rain again, but honestly, I don't worry too much about it. These days, simply having a golf appointment on my calendar is enough to make me look forward to the week. I try to play at least one round every week. Not because golf is as exciting as it used to be, but because it gives my life a healthy rhythm. It keeps me physically active, refreshes my mind, and reminds me to enjoy ordinary days. When I was younger, I was always searching for something extraordinary. I expected more from golf. I expected more from people. And because my expectations were so high, disappointments often followed. Looking back, I realize that many of those disappointments came not from other people, but from my own expectations. Recently, I finally let go of the hope of finding that one perfect pers...

When I was younger, I made plenty of mistakes. Some decisions turned out to be the wrong ones. Some paths led me somewhere I never wanted to be. I wish I could say I always made wise choices. I didn't. Life taught me through trial and error. Looking back, however, I don't regret those years. They helped me discover who I really am. Every wrong turn taught me something. Not only about life... But also about myself. One thing I'm grateful for is this. Whenever I realized I was walking in the wrong direction, I didn't stay there for long. I stopped. I changed direction. And I found my way back to myself. I have seen people continue down a path they already know isn't right. Sometimes because they are afraid. Sometimes because they have already invested too much time. Sometimes because changing direction feels like failure. But I have learned something different. Changing direction is not failure. Sometimes it is the bravest decision we can make. Today, my life feels pe...

I Dreamed of Becoming Capable Enough to Protect My Own Life and Kind Enough to Help Others Along the Way. When I was younger, I worked hard. Like many people, I wanted to succeed. I wanted to learn, grow, and become better at what I did. Over the years, I worked in different roles, met different people, and experienced different challenges. Looking back, however, I realize something important. I never dreamed of becoming powerful. I was not chasing status for its own sake. I was not trying to become someone important. What I truly wanted was much simpler. I wanted to become capable enough to protect my own life. I wanted the freedom that comes from competence. The ability to solve problems. The confidence to stand on my own feet. The wisdom to make decisions without constantly depending on others. Perhaps that was why I worked so hard during those years. Not because I wanted power. But because I wanted independence. Today, my life looks much quieter. I spend time with my two dogs. I pl...

Sometimes, I ask myself this question.  Why do new ideas keep coming to me?  Why can I continue writing story after story—about golf, English, and life—without feeling empty?  I think I finally understand the answer.  It is not because I am trying to create something new.  It is because I am revisiting something old.  The thoughts I write about today were not formed yesterday.  Many of them have been quietly growing inside me for decades.  Since my twenties, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about life.  When life felt difficult, I often asked myself: What is life really about?   I read many philosophers, hoping to find a clear answer.   But in the end, I realized something simple:  Even philosophers do not have a final answer. Perhaps the best we can do is this: To live fully.  To enjoy the present. To stay curious and grateful.  That may be enough. Looking back, I also realize something else....

There was a time when I thought my most exciting years were already behind me. After turning sixty, I imagined my life would become quieter and more predictable. I thought most of my important chapters had already been written. But life quietly smiled and said, "Not yet." This year, something unexpected happened. New golf friends with kind hearts came into my life. I have played golf with many people over the years, but this year, I felt something different. I met people who brought warmth, kindness, and positive energy into my everyday life. I also received more golf invitations from wonderful people, and those moments reminded me how precious human connections are. I realized something: New happiness does not always come from big changes. Sometimes, it comes from new relationships, simple conversations, and ordinary days that suddenly feel special. When I started writing my blog, I never planned to find something extraordinary. I just wanted to record my thoughts about golf...

Yesterday, on my way home after golf, I realized something was wrong with my car. Fortunately, I made it home safely, unloaded my golf bag, and drove to a repair shop near my house. I had never used that repair shop before. However, I remembered that one of my friends had once recommended it because of its honesty. That one recommendation saved me from wasting time and worrying about where to go. I trusted my friend's experience, left my car there, and everything went smoothly. Early this morning, I walked back to pick up my car. Luckily, it wasn't raining. Then I remembered that my car was due for its regular safety inspection, so I drove to the inspection center and completed everything after only about an hour of waiting. As I drove home, I realized that this story wasn't really about my car. It was about people. The repair shop had built its reputation through years of honest service. My friend had shared that experience with me without expecting anything in return. Bec...

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...

Golf teaches us to pay attention to the weather. A golfer naturally checks the forecast before making plans. We watch the sky, the wind, the temperature, and even the humidity. Sometimes a sunny day becomes rainy. Sometimes a forecast full of rain quietly changes into a perfect cloudy day. I've learned that life isn't much different. This week, my students are taking their final exams, so my schedule has finally become lighter. For the past two weeks, I've been busy preparing lessons and making sure everything was ready. Today, I finished it all. Now my attention turns to something much simpler. Golf. Tomorrow's forecast was supposed to be rainy, but it has changed to cloudy. To many people, that might not seem like much. To a golfer, it feels like a small gift. A cloudy day is often one of the best days to play. The air is comfortable, the grass stays fresh, and the course seems to slow down just enough to let you enjoy every swing. But golf isn't the only thing th...

To be honest, when I first started this blog, I had a simple goal. I wanted to become a popular blogger. There is nothing wrong with that. We all enjoy knowing that our stories are being read and appreciated. But somewhere along the way, something quietly changed inside me. These days, I no longer write to become popular. I write because I enjoy it. Writing has become a conversation with myself, almost like keeping a journal. Instead of trying to create impressive stories, I simply write about whatever feels real that day. Some days it's golf. Some days it's English. Some days it's just an ordinary moment that makes me smile. I've realized that forcing a story never feels as satisfying as letting one naturally appear. Maybe that also reflects my personality. I've always enjoyed laughing, finding small joys, and keeping life lighthearted. So I decided to stop trying to write the "perfect" blog post. I would rather write an honest one. At sixty, becoming a f...

When I first lived in the United States, I experienced a bit of culture shock. People told me that they had different groups of friends for different activities. Golf friends. Work friends. Travel friends. Coffee friends. At that time, I couldn't understand it. In Korea, when we become close friends, we often try to do everything together. We study together, travel together, exercise together, and spend weekends together. I thought that was what real friendship meant. Now, almost twenty years later, I finally understand. These days, most of my free time naturally revolves around golf. I have friends I play golf with. I have friends I enjoy having dinner or coffee with. I have people I simply greet at the driving range. And somehow, that feels completely natural. To be honest, I hesitated to write this. Some people might think this sounds selfish. But that's not what I mean. Until about five years ago, I was the leader of a group of eight close hometown friends. We had known eac...

I thought my most exciting years were already behind me. I thought life would become quieter, slower, and more repetitive. I was wrong.  Many people around my age say the same thing. "Every day feels the same." To be honest, I used to feel that way too. I just didn't say it out loud. I thought, "Maybe that's simply what life is like after 60." You wake up. You go to work. You solve problems. You come home. Then tomorrow, you do it all over again. For more than ten years, that's how my life felt. I wasn't unhappy. I was simply busy living. I spent most of my adult life working, learning, and trying to become a better person. After graduating from university, I hardly took any time off. I worked almost every year. I challenged myself. I made mistakes. I learned English. I studied for two MBAs. I met wonderful people. I also experienced disappointment, conflicts, and failure. Whenever problems appeared, I tried to understand them instead of running aw...

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 ...

Some people think my study abroad journey was supported by my parents. It wasn't. After graduating from university, I worked for many years and saved my own money.  In my late twenties, I once asked my father if he could send me abroad to study. He said something I still remember. "I have six children. If I send you, your younger siblings may want the same opportunity, and I can't do that for everyone. But if you want to go to graduate school in Korea, I will support you." At the time, I simply said, "I understand." I went on with my life, worked hard, and even completed my Korean MBA supported by company while working full-time. But some dreams don't disappear. The dream of studying in the United States stayed quietly in my heart for many years. Eventually, I decided to go. I paid for my study abroad with the money I had earned myself—almost 120 million KRW in total. Because I was older than many international students, I made a promise to myself before...