Sunday morning I went golfing. That may not seem so unusual, except that I’m not a golfer, have never been golfing, have never even cared much for putt-putt, even when large concrete dinosaurs and animated alligators festooned the course. But I live near a golf course now, and a well-meaning friend brought over a set of his old golf clubs, told me it was required by the neighborhood association that I own a set. And one night he and I headed out to a driving range, and that was sort of fun. Then we took my 8-year-old son and his 7-year-old daughter to the range with us, and they had a good time. One thing led to the next, and that’s how he and I came to find ourselves on a golf course with three kids, two golf carts, bug spray, sunblock, bottled water and two sets of junior golf clubs. We had a great time.
If you had asked me six months ago—as I slid into the salty confines of my kayak for a long weekend paddling excursion—if I’d ever thought I would voluntarily spend a Sunday morning golfing with a pack of ankle biters, I would have laughed at such a ridiculous notion. And here I am, thinking maybe I need some golf shoes for myself and better clubs for my kids.
The lessons? I guess there are several, and they carry over to my life at UTMB, especially in this time of transition, change and renewal: 1) Be open minded. 2) Try new things. 3) Look for new opportunities and ways to engage and include (kids or co-workers). 4) Be thankful for gifts that a friend freely shares, be they time, talent or a set of very serviceable clubs. 5) Have fun. Life is short and time spent with loved ones and friends is precious.
In case you were wondering, my golf game was somewhere south of horrible. My only two long straight shots dropped into a lake. I whiffed, I whacked, I sent balls and turf flying in directions that offended the laws of physics. But I had a good time, and am ready to give it another try.