No, I can not drop everything and go to Las Vegas to see Santana and play golf. That is how my conversation started a few weeks ago. Like all good friends would do, they totally ignored me. Ray, you love Santana and we will be standing right in front of the stage. I can't go. But Ray, two days of golf on beautiful courses awaits you. Ha, you saw my last round. I don't think I even like golf any more. Come on Ray, there will be great food and we will all be there together. A weekend with my buddies, I am not that strong. I was hooked!
Fast forward to last Sunday, 2 pm and we are all on our way. Thank you, Southwest airlines. Yes, I do wanna get away. At 7 pm, we are in the House of Blues and at 8 pm, the man steps on stage....SANTANA! ! ! A great night, for sure.
The next day, golf at its worst for me, just like my previous round. I received only encouragement from my friends. Tuesday, I considered just spending the day at the hotel and doing some work. Of course, I was overruled. We place a small wager on each round just to make it interesting and we each get a handicap. I get a lot of strokes. Tuesday was a good day for me. It was one of the best rounds I have had in decades. I won virtually every hole. Early in the round, I became the sandbagger. Friends! They keep me humble.
I am fortunate. I have my health. I have the ability to hop on a plane and go see a bucket list concert and play golf when I want to, but it is my friends that make me realize how fortunate I really am. Chris and Dave, I have known since my UC Davis days (the early 80's). I met Curt in 7th grade and David, grammar school. We have shared great times together; awesome weekends, weddings, the birth of our children and grandchildren. We have shared really tough times together; the loss of family members, the loss of friends, a rare divorce, health issues, as well as, the constant grind of every day life. What has been constant is our friendship. Every time I look up, there are my buddies. No, not just buddies...brothers. They keep me positive when life is tough. They keep me humble when life is good. OK, maybe I do sandbag just a bit, but I have too. They are all better than me. It is good to have friends that will reach down and pick you up. Life is good!
Thank you to Debbie Maxwell of Charlotte and Margaret Rome of Baltimore for encouraging us to look for the positive with this month's ActiveRain Gratitude Challenge.
Comments(24)