I wonder how many people think of golf as being "cowpasture pool?" Probably, a lot! I have been playing golf for almost fifty years and have loved every round I have ever played! Well, almost each of them! Is there any common sense reason for hitting a little white dimpled ball toward a flag and then walking a couple hundred yards and hitting it again? Probably not! At least, not anymore than kicking a ball through two stationary poles with a cross bar! Or, hitting a ball with a piece of wood and then running in a circle while others chase you! Or, rolling a big plastic ball at ten sticks to see how many you can knocked down! Get the idea? People don't play games because they make any "common sense!"
People play games for relief from the everyday grind of life! When one has gone to work every morning for 35 years and pushed the same button for eight hours and then returned home at the same time each afternoon...it can get a bit stressful, right? So, relief comes in the form of something "totally different!" A game! Any kind of a game!
What makes "a game a game?" Victories and losses? Rules and regulations? Competition? Imagination? Yes! All of the above goes into making "a game a game!" Isn't that a lot like life? As one said, "We win some, lose some, and have a few rained out!" That's life! We have to play by the rules and use our imaginations to survive! That makes life a game!
So, the next time you drive by a golf course and see some poor old guy about ready to hit that little white ball...resist the urge to honk your horn! That guy might be me and all I am doing is relieving a bit of stress!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Change In Our Lifestyle? It's coming!
Change! The first word that comes to mind when someone suggests change is, "Ouch!" That's right! Most of us resist change in any form! I have used Colgate toothpaste for most of my adult life and don't want to use any other brand. Why? Because I just don't! I am a Ford person! I have not purchased anything but a Ford product for the past 25 years or more. Is it because it is the best car on the road? Probably not! I just react slowly to change...very slowly!
That's why the coming changes in our lifestyle bother me and give me great reason to wonder how I will react! With fuel costs soaring at a record pace and $4.00 a gallon gasoline almost a thing of the past already, it means that I am going to have to change my driving habits! Slow down a little! Make fewer unnecessary trips to town! Rely on email or telephone communication to keep in touch with my family and friends! Get used to higher prices on every product due to the cost of delivery costs! Yes, change is coming!
Now, I know that I can adjust to these inevitable changes because I have done it in the past! Forty-three years ago today, I gave my heart and soul to a young lady that has been my bride ever since! I gave up a dream of being a high school English teacher that I had planned for in my youth. After five years of peace and quiet, Linda and I adopted two young boys with whom we have shared our lives! What a change! You see, I know I can adjust, the problem is that I don't want to change those things that are such a part of me!
This helps me understand the changes that people have made which are far greater and more difficult than the above. To be a better person some have given up friends, jobs, even neighborhoods! Others have replaced actions that have been a part of their lives for years with new and more blessed character traits! If my friends can adjust their lives so dramatically then I know I can do it, also!
Change is coming! Some "big" changes! So, get ready! It will not be "change for change" sake, it will be "change for necessity!"
That's why the coming changes in our lifestyle bother me and give me great reason to wonder how I will react! With fuel costs soaring at a record pace and $4.00 a gallon gasoline almost a thing of the past already, it means that I am going to have to change my driving habits! Slow down a little! Make fewer unnecessary trips to town! Rely on email or telephone communication to keep in touch with my family and friends! Get used to higher prices on every product due to the cost of delivery costs! Yes, change is coming!
Now, I know that I can adjust to these inevitable changes because I have done it in the past! Forty-three years ago today, I gave my heart and soul to a young lady that has been my bride ever since! I gave up a dream of being a high school English teacher that I had planned for in my youth. After five years of peace and quiet, Linda and I adopted two young boys with whom we have shared our lives! What a change! You see, I know I can adjust, the problem is that I don't want to change those things that are such a part of me!
This helps me understand the changes that people have made which are far greater and more difficult than the above. To be a better person some have given up friends, jobs, even neighborhoods! Others have replaced actions that have been a part of their lives for years with new and more blessed character traits! If my friends can adjust their lives so dramatically then I know I can do it, also!
Change is coming! Some "big" changes! So, get ready! It will not be "change for change" sake, it will be "change for necessity!"
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
You Can Be Too Big!
Have you ever wondered how some little things seem to bring some big things to a complete standstill? Often we make big plans to accomplish big things, but some little unforeseen problem brings our plans to a grinding halt!
Just this morning a friend of mine was ready to "head West" to New Mexico. He had talked about this trip for the past few days. He had his route laid out and the directions printed and "ready to roll!" After a couple of hours of picking up around his motor home and making sure that everything was secure, it was time to "hit the road again!" All was in readiness! Well, almost!
You see he had camped in the same spot for nearly two weeks and during that time his 42 foot motor home had sunk into the ground a bit...not a lot, just a bit! However, last night we had a pretty good rain here in the Williamsburg area and the grass was pretty damp. No problem! This big old diesel engine will begin to whine and off we go to that cement pathway!
The engine began to roar, the transmission was engaged, the side mirrors adjusted and...well, Mother Nature won again! All of those thousands of pounds were motionless! Oh, the wheels were turning, but nothing was moving forward...nor backward! That beautiful vehicle just sat there and spun its wheels!
From there it was trying to dig it out...lay something in front of the tires for traction...pushing it was out of the question! Nothing...nothing worked! After a wasted two hours trying to use the combined engineering skills (?) of three, the phone call was made for the big iron horse to come to the rescue! Within five minutes the rig was set and the motor home was set free!
A little water kept a huge vehicle from going anywhere! Just like life, huh?
Some of the biggest and most important plans of our lives are brought to a stand still by unexpected little things! Try as we will, nothing can help! We are powerless!
My friend, when you are powerless don't ever forget that God is powerful! He is all-powerful! The Bible says that He can do more than you and I can even think! That's power!
Just this morning a friend of mine was ready to "head West" to New Mexico. He had talked about this trip for the past few days. He had his route laid out and the directions printed and "ready to roll!" After a couple of hours of picking up around his motor home and making sure that everything was secure, it was time to "hit the road again!" All was in readiness! Well, almost!
You see he had camped in the same spot for nearly two weeks and during that time his 42 foot motor home had sunk into the ground a bit...not a lot, just a bit! However, last night we had a pretty good rain here in the Williamsburg area and the grass was pretty damp. No problem! This big old diesel engine will begin to whine and off we go to that cement pathway!
The engine began to roar, the transmission was engaged, the side mirrors adjusted and...well, Mother Nature won again! All of those thousands of pounds were motionless! Oh, the wheels were turning, but nothing was moving forward...nor backward! That beautiful vehicle just sat there and spun its wheels!
From there it was trying to dig it out...lay something in front of the tires for traction...pushing it was out of the question! Nothing...nothing worked! After a wasted two hours trying to use the combined engineering skills (?) of three, the phone call was made for the big iron horse to come to the rescue! Within five minutes the rig was set and the motor home was set free!
A little water kept a huge vehicle from going anywhere! Just like life, huh?
Some of the biggest and most important plans of our lives are brought to a stand still by unexpected little things! Try as we will, nothing can help! We are powerless!
My friend, when you are powerless don't ever forget that God is powerful! He is all-powerful! The Bible says that He can do more than you and I can even think! That's power!
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