Slow and Steady....

Occasionally...and I mean occasionally, a college course provides with you with a textbook that you both actually read and actually like. The combonation of the two are like finding your lost contact at football practice (a situation i'm glad i'll never have to repeat).

I'm taking a two-credit class called, "Sports and Exercise Psychology" and our professor assigned the book "Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days At the Links of Utopia" as a required text for our class. At first, the title of that books screams, "WASTE OF TIME," but knowing that this is a class that I can get an "A" in, of which there aren't many, I realized that I needed to read the book. It's not a big book, by any means...maybe 150 or so pages...and only costs me about 5 bucks on Amazon, so it wasn't a huge deal to buy it or read it.

The book needs to be read by next week, so I thought I'd just pound it out this weekend, starting today.

Much like the main character in the book, what I got was not what I expected.

The Narrorator/main character of the book is a professional golfer, living and golfing in West Texas, looking to break onto the PGA tour, but struggles with issues both on and off the greens that keep him from reaching his fullest potential. On his way home from a blown lead at a PGA qualifying touranement - follwed by a meltdown - he stops at a tiny village called Utopia, where he meets Johhny, an older cattle rancher who owns and manages a shabby old driving range and 9-hole course. Johnny explains that he too was a professional golfer one-upon-a-time and that after a week, he would have our character's game in top shape.

Each chapter explains the events of each day. There is one lesson a day, and the lessons almost always involve something other than a golf club. Johnny teaches life, freedom, balance, tradition, truth, creativity, conviction, humility, and the list goes on and on.

One of the days began with a drive in Johnny's old Ford pickup truck on a dusty one lane West Texas road. The student noticed the pace at which Johnny was driving and thought about it for a moment.
"The ranch was quite large, about 1000 acres, and the roads were too bumpy to be in a hurry. Maybe the pace of life is relative to the roads we drive on. Whereas good roads may quicken our step to our next destination, Ghandi once said, 'There is more to life than increasing its speed.' Out here, cowboys moved to the pace life gave them."

Interesting? I thought so. Maybe its because I've been out West, traveling in an old Ford (well, it was a GMC, but for parallelism, we'll stick with FORD) pickup on a dusty, bumpy, one lane country road...and I know the importance of going slow. If you drive too fast, you're either liable to break down or get tossed off the road.

In addition, think about all the cool things we pass when we drive fast. I love the country. I love the sights and sounds, the smells and the feel, and I would hate to think about all the things I've missed because I was driving too fast.

Maybe our problem lies with "Lead Foot Syndrome." Maybe we are so concerned about getting to where we think we need to be... and not thinking that maybe we are already there.

Ironic as I wrap this up that my last post talks about anxiousness about the future. Sometimes, I really think I am impossible. Thank you God for answers to prayers.

Horizons

There's a spirit of a storm in my soul
A restlessness that I can seem to tame

Thunder and lightning follow everywhere I go

There's a spirit of a storm in my soul

There's a hurricane that's raging through my blood

And I can't find a way to calm the sea

Maybe I'll find someday the waters aren't so rushed

But right now they've got the best of me

And oh, it's been a long long time

Since I've had real peace of mind

So I'm just going to sit right here

In this old chair till this storm rolls by

Oh maybe it's just the way I am

Maybe I won't ever change

So I'm just going to sit right here

In this old chair and just soak up the rain

There's a spirit of a storm in my soul

Every time I think it's gone away

Dark clouds gather, that old wind begins to blow

The sun's going to shine someday, I hope

There's a spirit of a storm in my soul

Spirit of a Storm - Kenny Chesney

Disclaimer: I am of the firm believe that there is a Kenny Chesney song for every emotion in life. I'm not trying to brag, but I'm pretty sure I have every song Kenny has ever put out...so it's pretty much a fact. :)

This one has been building up in me for a while.....

I love pictures of landscapes. I have hundreds of pictures of them on a slideshow saved on my computer, and every once-in-a-while, I'll turn off the lights and just watch, let my mind wander, and let my imagination take me to those distant lands that are right infront of me, captured on my little 15" monitor.

All of those pictures are beautiful in their own right. Some are brilliant sunsets, some are breathtaking sunrises....some are dry, desert landscapes, some are lazy,winding rivers. All of these pictures, however, have something in common. There is always a horizon, a far off place where we aren't exactly sure what is there, but we are captivated by what is just over the mountain range, or on the other side of the sea.

Why is it that I have this restlessness about me? Kenny says it in a perfect way, "There's a spirit of a storm in my soul." Why am I not satisfied with where my feet are planted? Recently, I've felt anxious.... discontent. Not ungrateful, mind you, just a little tug that reminds me to keep walking. I'm not really sure of the direction, but just to put one foot in front of the other and walk towards that horizon. I'm not sure exactly what's there, or what I'll be doing... but the sun is going to shine someday, I hope.

Up until now, I've been so blessed with my parents, my church, my experiences here at school... but I feel like I'm handcuffed to my life right now. (Does that even make sense?) I feel like a change is in order, and that change is just over that horizon I see in all of those pictures I look at.

It's a risky business, daydreaming, especially in my case. Your mind is a powerful thing, and can take you to wonderful places, even if only for a few minutes (except during class....ahem). But risky is an "ok" thing for me right now. Take some risks. Go and see what's on the other side. Don't be comfortable. Maybe it's time to ride the waves....