April is here. It is a time of new growth and a time of reflection. It is a time of feeling like a thousand different things are being thrown at you...at the same time...and some of the things are on fire...and others are fine china. It is definitely a different "game" that is played these last two months of school.
In the world of sports, April brings one of the best traditions out there: the Masters. At our house, this is a sacred time. My husband gets up early to watch the first rounds and he really doesn't move too far from the screen during play. We did make a little trip in the car on Friday during play. Have you ever watched golf before? It isn't always the most exciting. Now imagine LISTENING to it on the radio for a two-hour road trip.
I have written about the Masters before in regard to Tiger's comeback. (You can click here to check that out.) This was prior to the 2021 car accident that drastically impacted his body and his game. He did make his 23rd Master cut, matching Fred Couples and Gary Player. Some really beautiful moments take place during Masters weekend.
The Masters is a time when you see some great golf on a beautiful course. Unlike most sporting events, you must wait over four days to see who the winner is. The lead can change many times throughout the day. The weather can change many times throughout the day. This year, the first round saw beautiful weather, only to be followed by days of storms and rain. Golfers were playing rounds on top of rounds in order to make it to Sunday.
Golf, like life, has moments that are beautiful. It also has moments that are ugly. It has times when everything goes right. It has times when nothing goes right. It has times when you are confident in your play, but then shank your next shot causing you to score two over par. It has time when your tee shot is perfect and down the middle of the fairway. There are other times when your ball is lost...whether in water or the weeds. Like life, it has highs and it has lows. Like life, you cannot pause play. You have to keep playing through the bad and through the good. You have to have confidence in your shot and in your ability to sink putts.
Imagine you are this year's winner Jon Rahm from Spain. Great golfer. How did he begin the first hole of his Masters weekend? With a four-putt. For Kelly Neill, a four putt on a hole is a reason to celebrate. For someone like Jon Rahm, that is a disaster. That could have set up a disastrous weekend for him. But he followed the advice of the great coach Ted Lasso. "Be a Goldfish". Learn from your mistake. Don't dwell on it and move to the next hole.
Just like golfers get a new chance at the end of every hole (and really every shot), we get those same chances. You can look at it being similar to the end of each day, each week or each month. We have the chance to learn and move on...hoping to make the next one a great one.
Things are crazy right now. It may feel like each day is a four putt hole. Be a goldfish. Have that 10 second memory. Do better the next minute...the next lesson...the next day. Be a goldfish and you too can win the Masters.
Check out this link of Jon talking about Ted Lasso:
