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...

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...

My body was still a little achy this morning. I have a regular golf group round coming up on Monday, and I wanted to go to the driving range today. In the past, I probably would have followed my schedule anyway. “I'm playing golf on Monday, so I should practice today.” But this morning, my body seemed to be saying something different. “Take it easy today.” So I slept for most of the morning. And surprisingly, after getting enough sleep, I woke up feeling great. I looked at myself in the mirror and gave myself a little smile. “Maybe I'm still young after all.” 😂 After taking my dogs for a short walk, I went to the local market. I bought some seeds and seedlings for my winter garden—Chinese cabbage, young radish, and lettuce. I also picked up seeds for cilantro and chicory. And, of course, I couldn't resist an old favorite. A hotteok. I also brought home some jokbal, Korean-style braised pig's feet, for lunch. I had it with rice, salad, and kimchi. My dogs got a little ...

Today, I completed my biggest project of the year. 🌱 It wasn't a golf tournament. It wasn't a work project. It was my winter vegetable garden. 😂 Jeju has relatively mild winters, so many vegetables can grow outdoors without freezing. If I plant winter cabbage, young cabbage, lettuce, and other vegetables in the fall, I can enjoy fresh vegetables from my own garden throughout the winter. So, I finally completed everything I had planned. A week ago, I cleaned up the entire garden. Three days ago, I spent two full hours turning over the soil with a shovel. I was sweating so much that I felt like I had just come out of a sauna. 😂 And honestly, I loved it. Yesterday, I went to the local market and bought all the seeds and seedlings I needed. This morning, after walking my dogs, I looked at my garden and said: “Ready to go!” 🌱 Then I spent another two hours planting everything according to my plan. Project complete! ✅ Now I am already looking forward to the lon...

I don't think I have more luck than other people. I think I've simply learned how to notice it. We often hear that everyone gets a few big strokes of luck in life. But these days, I wonder if luck comes to us much more often than that. Maybe many of our lucky moments are just too small to notice. For me, a good cup of coffee can be a little piece of luck. A delicious meal shared with someone I like can be a little piece of luck. A beautiful golf shot that comes unexpectedly can be a little piece of luck. Even a funny scene at a swimming pool can become a little piece of luck. Yesterday, for example, I saw several senior swimmers secretly following an aqua exercise class from a distance. They knew they weren't actually part of the class, and they were smiling as they copied every movement. It was so funny that I started laughing to myself. And then, without even realizing it, I started following along with them in the water. Yes, I joined their little secret lesson, too. ㅎㅎ ...

Yesterday, I suddenly ended up playing a round at Raon CC because there was a 50% green fee discount for a last-minute round. The three friends I played with are all very close friends, so we started the round in a relaxed and happy mood. The weather was nice, and Raon CC is a relatively easy and comfortable course to play. It is a little long, though, so making birdies is not always easy. One of my friends had been going through a bit of a golf slump for a while. But yesterday, something changed. Her shots suddenly became much more stable, and her good shots came back. So every time she hit a great shot, we shouted, “Nice shot!” and enjoyed the round together. Then, on one hole, two of my friends hit their balls into the bushes. They went all the way to the other side of the fairway with the caddie to look for their balls. Meanwhile, my friend and I were waiting in the cart. Suddenly, she pointed to the middle of the fairway and said, “Stand right there.” So I stood there. And she sta...

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...