I had the best time playing with Lisa and Sheri. We played Women Vs. Men /all play - best ball format. Uh? I wasn’t sure what it meant either. So basically Sheri, Lisa and I were on one team and we were playing against 3 men on the other team (Lisa’s husband, father and a friend of the family). You play your ball all the way through but you only put the best score on the score card.
I was excited. This gave me an opportunity to play my game but without all the pressure! The first hole I had the best score. That is basically the only contribution I made! Lisa and Sheri are phenomenal players so I basically found myself falling into spectator mode. I would rush my shot so I could watch them. Both of them were poetry in motion.
At one point Lisa asked me if I was still taking lessons. I told her off and on but not in about 6 months. She told me that she still takes lessons. That news shocked me. Lisa played on her college golf team. So it never occurred to me that she would be taking lessons. But when you think about it, technology of equipment has evolved, as well as, golf course developers have tried to make courses themselves, very competitive. Courses now have slopes, different foliage as hazards, dog ear left and rights etc. So absolutely I can see where continued lessons are still needed, especially, if I plan to take my game to the next level.
Yes, taking more lessons sounds good in theory but where do I find the time? The reality of the world is that we find plenty of time to do things we don’t like but have deemed a “have to do.” Meanwhile the things that bring us joy and feed our soul are cast aside. These joy opportunities are left in the corner to collect dust while the “have to do” is our constant companion.
Why is it? Why do we sometimes feel we are not living unless we are suffering? Not cool. Not cool at all.
So here’s my New Year’s promise to myself. I will time find time to wipe the dust off of my joy opportunities and take them out of the corner. I realize this process will be slow to get going. So starting in January I’m going to start by going back to my monthly massage (Oscar, here I come!), followed by at least one golf clinic or lesson a month. I have to play a minimum of 1 9- hole and 1 18-hole a month. And the driving range a minimum of twice a month.
I expect you all to hold me accountable and I challenge you to move your joy opportunities out of the corner!
Sidenote: Lisa was invited and participated in the Bob Hope Classic. Guess the lessons are really working out for her ;)
