Here I am with three of my favourite people in the world…my golfing buddies. From the left is Anne, and myself, Crystal and Elaine. In the spring and summer, and even a little bit into the fall, we like to golf about once a week together.

We are not “good”…sometimes we hit good shots, sometimes we hit worm burners. If you’re not a golfer, just imagine a gutter ball 🙂

We laugh. A lot.

My favourite moments these days seem to be when I’m on the course with my buddies. There’s nothing like a warm summer evening when the sun is low in the sky and the air is still and you’re leaning over your putt, ready to hit it in. Sometimes I stand a little longer and take a deep breath and let every other thought go. Very Zen.

I hit a Canada Goose once. And another time I hit a squirrel. The Canada Goose was pretty big, but he still hobbled off to the side, squawking all the way. I felt terrible. The squirrel was a lot smaller, of course, so he did about a half-a-dozen flips before coming to rest. I stood in horrified silence, and then I finally saw him get up and run off up into a tree. Phew.

Anne hit a groundskeeper once. He was sitting in his lawnmower contraption waiting for us to hit. And she wacked her ball right into his machine. He wasn’t very happy, I don’t know why! No sense of humour. Crystal hit the same tree twice. Well, I’ve done that too. Same tree…the shot bounced back and I hit it and it bounced back again. That’s called negative yardage.

I don’t know if Elaine has hit anything yet, but when she does, you can bet I’ll report it right here.

I had to miss a couple of golf games recently because of a family emergency. I thought of those three ladies playing for every moment I knew they were out there. I realize, of course, that the game is kind of incidental. Sure, it’s great when you hit that tee shot with a fabulous crack, or when your ball rolls crisply and decidedly into the hole. And there’s nothing like being out on the fairway and catching an eagle soaring above or a family of deer nibbling on the grass. But the company is what really counts.

And the nice glass of wine at the end of it all 🙂

IJ
(PS…for the record, since this picture was taken, Crystal is skinnier, and I am fatter. She’d want me to point that out.)