Doing more of what you want to do

Doing more of what you want to do, came up as a theme at our most recent covenant group.  This cause me to think about whether I am actively doing this or not.  The answer is maybe and maybe not. 

I very deliberately decided that this summer I would play a lot more golf than in recent summers.  I held true to this and played at least twice a week with two different groups.  I played at 7:04am yesterday morning, and on my drive home I fantasized about dropping by Pine Meadows to play another 9 holes for the day.  It is getting too late to play after work, BOO HOO, but watch out for next summer.  I will be upping the ante on golf.

I want to get more exercise, and this is a tricky one.  It needs to be built into my schedule or it slips away.  If I walk right after I get home, and get into that habit I will probably be successful.  If I wait and pretend that I am going to walk after dinner, the probability of success decreases.  Remember, I am a morning person.

Lately, because of a certain day in September when our son gets married, I have been preoccupied with wedding stuff, so my quilting has been dormant.  Need to get back to that after the wedding.

In terms of volunteer activities, I am doing what I like to do there.  I am on the board of Star Island Corporation, and hopefully having an impact keeping our beloved spiritual community viable for my grandchildren.

Yes, and at work, I am doing what I want to do.  I still love my job after 3.75 years and cannot imagine even looking for another job.  Oh, there are some days when it is not terrific, but compared to where I might be, this is perfect for me.

The older I get, the more I do what I want to do.  I have less tolerance for obligations or mediocre activities.  Should a, could a, would a, do not do much for me.  So, more golf, more quilting, more exercise, more Coniston, more family and friends and less of everything else . . .

2010 - Summer of golf and learnings

No, the summer is not yet over, even though Labor Day weekend begins in a few short hours, but I figure I would post this while the thoughts are fresh.

I set out this summer with the explicit intention to play lots of golf.  I regularly played on Monday night with women friends and on Thursday mornings in the Intuit golf league.  Don't cringe, but we teed off at 6:06 for the early birds and 7:03 for those who slept in. I also try to play in Vermont with my family the weekends we are up there. 

Before this week, when my club really started connecting with the ball I used to be baffled at how some of my compatriots could lose so many balls, and not know where their balls had gone.  I was not hitting the ball long enough to ever lose any balls.  The only place mine ended up was in the H2O.  In fact, I have had the same pocket of balls for years, because I never lost them.  This week I ran out of that pocket of balls and started playing with new fresh pink balls.  I had one drive this week where I actually lost a ball in the rough.  I had another drive on the 7th hole at Pine Meadows, where I usually drive just over a hill.  This week it was way far down that hill.  I could not believe my ball went that far. 

It is very exciting to be improving.  My score is not drastically better, but my drives are consistent and getting longer.  Practice, practice, practice does improve your game.

I am no longer baffled about how I could possibly lose a ball in the rough.   I am not surprised that my drives are longer and more consistent.  I knew entering the summer of golf that if I played this much I was bound to get better.  It is too bad, for my golf game, that fall is approaching.  Maybe a winter vacation to a golf destination is in order.  

Hi My name is Sally and I am a Golf Addict

This summer has been amazing for golf.  I play at least twice a week and sometimes a third time.  Monday nights are with my friend E and occasionally a third.  Thursday mornings at 6:06 I play with the Intuit golf league.  Don't forget that I am an early bird when you gasp at the early tee time.  I can get to work by 8:30 by teeing off at 6:06.

Early on in the summer, my two brothers gave me a couple of tips and for the most part they have become a part of my game.  They were: 1) Don't bend your left elbow 2) Hold the club like it is a bird - that gently.   I KNOW that consistency is the name of the game in golf, so playing this often will help with that.

What is really interesting to me, is that my scores have not gone down much this summer but my satisfaction of my game has.  If I could only string together a series of 8 or 9 holes, my score would go down, and someday at this rate that will happen.

The other surprise is that when folks hear I play golf the normal reaction is "You play golf, I did not know that!"  OK, if I were male, this would not be a normal comment, and would not even be a thought or a prejudice. 

Why is it still perceived as a male game?  I know plenty of women who play.  In our family, Murg is the golf widower.  Just another way that I turn the world upside down I suppose.  BTW, I had to add a new label for this post . . . golf.