GONE

Do you know how many dimples are on a golf ball? I do - I googled that shit!

- A golf ball has from 300 to 500 dimples. The most common are 392 and 336. Without them, your shot would travel three quaters as far.

- Leaves the tee at the top speed of a Porsche Boxster; about 160 mph (if you really crack the fucker).

- Spins up to 8,000 revolutions a minute in midair.

- Is inanimate and will not respond to pleading and rebuke (I’ve tried, trust me).

- It’s made of a rubber core and an outer layer of either balata, Surlyn or urethane.

- Will likely end up at the bottom of a pond, where it will degrade slowly over the next millennium (Where my first year golf balls ended up..).

That’s only a fraction of the complexities of golf. Now try and figure out your stance, swing speed, pressure, wind, undulation – there are sooo many damn factors it can really traumatize the experience / game of golf! Thing is, this is not how you should FEEL with this skill or sport or whatever else is going on in your life! The thing about golf, something I lost, was how everything comes together when you FEEL RIGHT about what you’re doing. Your swing, stance, every minute detail feels propa – no doubt, all action. I’ve heard numerous times “Just go up and hit the damn ball, don’t think about it, go through the motions and hit it.” Now, that’s good advice to a point, but honestly it’s not all that simple – nothing is. As I walk to my golf ball (yes, I actually walked yesterday) I had plenty of time to dwell on numerous factors that I’ve mentioned and not mentioned. The first 2 holes were mediocre, enjoyable, but could’ve been played better on my part. I know why I didn’t perform up to my high standards – paralysis by analysis! Yeah, I consider a lot when I’m playing, I tend to lose focus on what FEELS RIGHT. I control my FEELINGS, not the weather, course, wave-like forms (undulation) on the green – these problems will always be there. They’ll change over time too – just as my life problems change over time. Funny thing is, I enjoy golf, I enjoy life – the parallels are soo numerous that I sat back on #5 laughing at myself. I’ll have you know I was vexed earlier in the week and really had no way to truly understand what the hell I had going on – funny how things work out – thank you Uncle Chip, Adam and Nick – thanks for taking the time to show me this game!

I learned a lot about myself last night; I learned how to deal with my anxieties and problems in life. I don’t have all of the answers to mine or your problems. I’ll tell you what we do have – we have the ability to understand, consciously what feels right and wrong in our lives. We also have the ability to deal with our feelings and thoughts, appreciating them and working towards understanding them and their impact in our lives (and what comes out of my mouth at times of vulnerability). I’m learning and that is one of my goals. I’m making connections and understanding how things get from a to b to c and all the bullshit that goes on in between. I cant be one sided and say I hate it, love it, I can deal with it and embrace it - these are my feelings! I enjoy the change that goes on for me daily – it’s the learning process baby, yeah!

posted by Not Jon  # 5/18/2005 08:18:00 AM