Everyday is an adventure for my staff and I. We never quite know what we are going to encounter. All types of things throw us curve balls; weather, vandalism, mechanical breakdown, and even human nature. In this business, the only thing that happens rapidly is crop failure. Turf grass can go from green to brown very quickly. When turf death happens, recovery is a slow process ranging from weeks, to months, to even years.
Today, while talking with a young man about a young woman's battle with cancer, I was amazed at his maturity and wisdom. It was comforting to me that there remains well raised young men and women, as the media attempts to disembowel my faith in mankind. This young college student when discussing the future of someone he cares deeply about, was not bitter nor discouraged. The conversation ended as he simply stated, "we just have to take it day by day."
Growing turf for a living is strange, it is a great deal of pressure to produce extreme conditions solely for recreation. I constantly have to remind myself that I am not saving lives out there, it is, in the end, just grass. Golfers, if you know any, get very serious about conditions. They want the greens fast
now, the rough cut
now, the bunkers fixed
now. I cannot fault anyone, my customers (members) have paid their money for the product. They would like it now, not next month, or next year. It is very easy to become influenced to the
now pressures, giving in and becoming frustrated at the snails pace that progress and even life's journey trudges on at.
The now pressure slowly creeps into your life if allowed to go unchecked. It appears non-threatening at first., "I better do this right now, or I will forget." Pretty soon, the now slips into your non-work schedule, unhappiness is the first warning sign. Everywhere your critical eye looks is something in need of improvement, picking out the smallest task and accomplishing it gives no or little pleasure for the progress is minuscule compared to the list of to dos.
My job requires a great deal of observation, I am constantly on the lookout of the details gone awry. This approach is mainly critical, looking for the areas in which to improve, so that we can take the course "to the next level," which is another post some other day. Combine the critical eye, with the now syndrome, and you get "everything looks like garbage, and I need it fixed by the end of the day today" disease.
Until a young man speaks to you........
I am guilty of impatience. I want it now, I want to know it will all be OK. I want to live in a house you see in the movies, where friends drop by and everything is in its place. I want the tournament course you see on t.v. that is pristine and perfect. I want to be completely organized, have my golf swing perfect, and a chiseled sculpture of abs.
Sometimes, most times, we can't have it now, and we don't know how things will turn out. We have to wait, be patient, and take it day by day. But, if we pay attention, we can realize that we are not in it alone, the voice of wisdom is spoken to those who listen. We must have faith that it is fine to take it "day by day." That the real joy is in the now and that includes the people not the things that surround us.
