Drink it in…

This summer my oldest son, Jordan, joined me at one of the great golf courses in the entire world, Muirfield Village to play in one of our member/guest events. He and I hope to make this a tradition as we share a love of golf and are separated by 2,000 miles. Golf brings him home.

Toward the middle of our round the sky began to darken and then the thunder and lightening. Before you knew it, the horn had sounded and the skies had opened up. A gully washer was underway. We were lucky to be on the 8th hole at the time and had a short walk to what is know as the halfway house, a place to get a bite or a drink at the midpoint of your round. We hurriedly headed in and were greeted by an over capacity crowd. The rain had interrupted our golf. We had nothing to do but wait. I ordered a sandwich and a tea and anticipated hanging with Jordan and getting to know the guys we were paired with.

The delay went on and on as the rain kept coming. Jordan and I went outside and talked for a bit under the roof but away from the crowd. I’ll never forget his next words. “Dad,” he said, ” I’ve not seen guys drinking like this since college.”

I turned to look at the masses huddled together inside. They were following a script it was plain to see. If we can’t golf, we can still drink. If two drinks is good, five must be better. If we are away on holiday and the destination isn’t providing the desired distraction, we can always drink.

Remember, most of us drink AND eat too much when we are bored. Boredom, remember, is an opportunity to build a better script. Learning to be comfortable in your room, alone, is a discipline to build. Beautiful grounds and sudden changes in the weather, are meant to be taken in and nourish our very souls…

How well are you handling your boredom these days?

Are you following the scripts of your childhood, your emerging adulthood, your peers, of leading yourself from the convictions of your strong CORE?

What happens when adversity strikes? Are you happy with how you stand up under pressure? Are you satisfied with what your son sees?

Why are we world of addicts, alcohol just being the most obvious? What does this say about us? What are we trying to fill when we empty the bottle?

Why, when given the gift of time, do so many seek to “get drunk” instead of take the opportunity to really “drink it in?”

Why? Why? Why?

Thanks for the reminder, Jordan.

Thanks for the reminder…