New Year of Promise

To my friends, thank you for your friendship over the years.  I have some photos and messages to share with you.

Giving back.  Through our love and devotion to family and friends, we learn to give back in many ways as we have learned from our youth. Meaningful relationships are the lifeblood of our existence.  

Believing in you.  Expecting nothing more than what you put your heart and soul into.  Continue to focus on your vision and goals that are at the core of your strengths.  Jim Collins, author of Good to Great (sure you’re familiar with this work) offers us advice: “ ‘who’ helps more than the ‘what’.”

Having fun.  Observe and participate in our collective connections. Through community and association, we can share special moments with others.

Above all, best wishes for good health, happiness, and prosperity.  It is a new year of promise.  Know how much your friendship impacts others and make a difference.

Regaining Our Lost Hero: Inspire Youthfulness

Alex Heard, at age 4, set near youngest golfer record hole in one.

Through the carefree character of 4-year old golf hero, Alex Heard, we are given the pearls of youth–regaining our lost hero. 

Inspiration at its best, recently written by Rick Heard, PGA, on the r&r blog, Take a Golf Break is the moral of the story:

      “Instead of being upset with himself, Alex literally skipped off the putting green and went inside to collect his 2nd place trophy.  As I watched him skip off the green, I realized how quickly most of us lose that youthful exuberance and self-satisfaction in golf (and in life).  If only we could always remember to make our best effort and be satisfied with the outcome.  If only we could remember that the ultimate purpose is fun and family bonding and to enjoy the pleasures of golf, without placing too high a priority on perfection. Too many people lose that perspective.”

Rick gives us a powerful message to ponder.  Do we lose our opportunity for fulfillment at the price on perfection? Or do we need to engage with our youthful past and lighten up a bit?

Consider a different scenario. Recently, I played in a golf foursome with someone named Bill, a good looking 30’s something  professional with lots of talent and focus.  Earlier that day Bill mentioned his father taught him to play right handed golf because it was thought to be better even though Bill’s left hand was dominant.  

Surprisingly, Bill learned later in life his left handed game was actually stronger. He wished he played lefty, though, from the time he was a child, hinting his golf game would be far better now.  Bill must realize he is already regaining the lost hero of his youth.  Scoring in the mid 70s, he played a truly phenomenal 18-hole round.  

What does regret have to gain?  Bill is playing out the scene of his youth–his left handed golf prowess.   Live it Bill!

What’s your lost hero story?

It’s time for r&r when…

Have you ever felt you need r&r?  Think about it.  Maybe you’ve got something there! Complete the following sentence  or add one to the list.

You’re sleeping at your desk when the CEO stops by to see you…

It is time for r&r when….

 Your boss is taking the day off…

You read through 2000 email spam messages…

You’re sleeping at your desk as the CEO stops by to see you…

Your best work is rejected…

You present a great idea and everyone laughs…

You decide to change careers and find no jobs in that field…

The job you want the most is withdrawn…

You can’t sleep because your job is on your mind…

You missed your first deadline…

The economy is a curse word…

Gas prices are going up…

You forget how old you are…

You feel like you are getting old at 25…

You put on 10 lbs. cramming for an exam…

You forget your wife/husband’s birthday…

Your son/daughter gets the Jeopardy question and you don’t…

You’re about to eagle the par 5, then take 3 putts…

You haven’t read a book in a year…

You haven’t taken a vacation in over a year…

You get a traffic ticket for talking on your cell phone…

You get in a traffic accident when you were texting…

 What’s your reason for r&r?

Canoeing and kayaking cures most ills

Canoers Holly, Liz, and Paul enjoying relaxing paddle on the Menunketesuck River

Far from traffic jams and polluted highways, Westbrook, Connecticut seems like another world. We visited relatives who took us on a canoeing and kayaking adventure through the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge.  Nature has a way of getting lost in time and just this thought let our paddle seem like a stream to eternity.

A few croaking sounds gave us a hint to observe the tall wading egrets keeping watch on their territory.  The luminous glisten of the late afternoon sun, coupled with warm gentle breeze were the only mission criteria for a relaxing paddle down the pristine 2-mile stretch of the Menunketesuck River. 

We delighted in the pleasures of this natural refuge, untouched but closely protected by the surrounding marshes. The gentle gliding of our canoe and kayak through the waters immersed our spirit in tranquility. For all natures’ elements, in harmony with the wind, our crews’ mission was complete.  

Nature at its best on the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge

Tidbits about canoeing and kayaking

The sport of canoeing and kayaking is not so new, however, it has been getting more attention in the last decade.  Although its origin is traced to Eskimos hunting in the northernmost hemisphere over 4000 years ago, kayaking today has been adapted to various modes of fishing, entertaining our fascination with Olympic racing, and most prominently for recreational use.  A search of canoeing and kayaking resources on Amazon.com shows stacks of smartly packaged guides to tour nearly dozens of states throughout North America. The terrain and open spaces vary, over streams, rivers, and dams, as well as ocean passages along coastal areas.  

What is your canoeing and kayaking experience?

Take a golf break

Change in the economic climate is bringing about frustration and few success stories, but not if you’re the kind of challenger who can channel your energy in a positive direction. Spending one hour practicing golf could just be the answer to relieve stress and can actually turn into a productive lunch break at best. Take for example, 4-year old golfer, Alex Heard (see picture below), who recently aced a hole-in-one.

Coincidentally I was finishing my late afternoon round on an executive 9-hole course and loading my golf bag into the car. Taking a golf break is what I need to power through the rest of the day. I glanced over to the first tee box and see two young children, accompanied by their parents, ready to tee off. The young boy was swinging the club in preparation for the tee off. Astonished, I grabbed my camera to capture this moment. Often I am graced by the athletic challenge of golf, and its moments of pure joy like this that tell the whole story.

In the local newspaper today there happened to be a story about Alex Heard (Sun Sentinel. Aug 7, 2009. http://tinyurl.com/m4cfow). Could this be a coincidence? What struck me as an interesting story as I left the golf course the day before had actually made headlines. I checked my digital camera, and low and behold, the picture (as shown) is our success story. Alex was close to the Guinness record, off by 28 days, of achieving the youngest person to hit a hole-in-one. The actual event occurred 10 days ago and the newspaper was running the story. Equally impressive is to see young children like Alex approach golf with such ease. 

Imagine the triumphs that await you—maybe you could make it happen. Alex has already experienced this extraordinary accomplishment at such an early age that many of us strive for. Give yourself a break–maybe a hole-in-one is one stroke away.

Big waves come in all sizes

Hot summer days of bodysurfing in the cold Atlantic Ocean waters off of Long Island are the stuff memories are made of growing up.  Everyone helped to pack the family station wagon with beach necessities–blankets, towels, and a cooler full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, and a jug of Kool-Aid.   

Eyes widened with jubilation at the sight of big waves, on the order of 12-15 ft, usually towards late afternoon. The wind would pick up and the big waves came in sets. Riding these big waves is just a teeny tiny percentage of the big ones to explore in other parts of the world like Hawaii and certainly within reach for a beginner bodysurfer like me.

From beach blankets or concession stand, most body surfers would be mesmerized watching the afternoon waves  rolling in. Soon after lunch, everyone just seemed to show up in the water again. Heads were bobbing in and out of the water like dolphins swimming out to the deep waters.  Surfers were sitting high on their surfboards, cordoned off to the sides behind the orange flags. 

Directly in front of the lifeguard stands, many of us would swim beyond the breaking waves. I would look over my shoulder to see a couple of the lifeguards standing up.

Sure it was hard to see and the whistle would blow when one of us had drifted out a little too far out of reach.  One of the lifeguard’s arms extended and waved repeatedly, signaling to the farthest out swimmer to come in closer to the shore.

The fine line between going too far behind the waves and being too much in front of the waves coming in was tricky.  Sometimes if you missed riding the swell, it was exhilarating to ride it up to the top and get a splash at the peak. I would turn my head to get an echoing sound, as the water created a hollow tube.  Was I envious of the real tubes the surfers would ride. 

The moment of the wave swell would come so quickly you had to be ready. Is it too big, I mean, would I get pounded? Many times I was beached by a big one, coughing up water and sand and impressionable sore ribs.

Split second decision was here:  ride it in. Turn, start rapid swimming strokes to position in front of the wave. I could almost hear my heart beating.  My head was slightly up, arms stretched behind, shoulders pushed forward, feet paddling wildly–I was riding the BIG ONE.  Yippee!  Such a powerful force of water rolled beneath me as I lay on top of it.

I slid to the waters edge like a dolphin. Gleeful sounds and shivers emanated from my entire body. I managed to get up without much embarrassment–my bathing suit was still on. I turned and made my way into the deep waters again. This feeling is not something you ever want to experience only once—it is something that lies within you forever. 

That’s r&r.