Today...I wish you a day of ordinary miracles:
I wish you all of these things...
- A happy wiggling dog to visit and brighten your day.
- A smiling bus driver if you take the bus!
- Courteous drivers if you don't.
- A day of staying calm and peaceful in spite of the holiday craziness.
- The hope and vision to see the New Year as a new page in your life.
- The energy to make the right choices.
- A chickadee outside your kitchen widow.
- A sunny day when you feel "It's GREAT to be alive!"
-A fresh pot of coffee you didn't have to make yourself.
-An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
-Green traffic lights on your way to work or shop.
-I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in.
-The fastest line at the grocery store.
-A good sing along song on the radio.
-Your keys right where you look.
The following is not intended to offend fans of tennis, basketball, football or baseball. It is, rather, an attempt to put everything in its proper perspective.
Ever wonder why golf is growing in popularity and why people who don't even play go to tournaments or watch it on TV? The following truisms may shed some light:
Golf is an honorable game, with the overwhelming majority of players being honorable people who don't need referees.
Golfers don't have some of their players in jail every week.
Golfers don't kick dirt on, or throw bottles at, other people.
Professional golfers are paid in direct proportion to how well they play.
Golfers don't get per diem and two seats on a charter flight when they travel between tournaments.
Golfers don't hold out for more money, or demand new contracts, because of another player's deal.
Professional golfers don't demand that the taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play.
When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them.
The PGA raises more money for charity in 1 year than the NFL does in 2 years.
You can watch the best golfers in the world up close, at any tournament, including the majors, all day every day for $25 or $30. The cost for even a nosebleed seat at the Super Bowl costs around $300 or more unless you buy it from scalpers in which case it's $1,000+.
You can bring a picnic lunch to the tournament golf course, watch the best in the world and not spend a small fortune on food and drink. Try that at one of the taxpayer funded baseball or football stadiums. If you bring a soft drink into a ballpark, they'll give you two options -- get rid of it or leave.
In golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make $9 million a season, like the best baseball hitters (.300 batting average) do.
Golf doesn't change its rules to attract fans.
Golfers have to adapt to an entirely new playing area each week.
Golfers keep their clothes on while they are being interviewed.
Golf doesn't have free agency.
In their prime, Palmer, Norman and other stars, would shake your hand and say they were happy to meet you. In his prime Jose Canseco wore T-shirts that read "Leave Me Alone."
You can hear birds chirping on the golf course during a tournament.
At a golf tournament, (unlike at taxpayer-funded sports stadiums and arenas) you won't hear a steady stream of four letter words and nasty name calling while you're hoping that no one spills beer on you.
Tiger hits a golf ball over twice as far as Barry Bonds hits a baseball.
Golf courses don't ruin the neighborhood.
And finally:
Here's a little slice of golf history that you might enjoy.
Why do golf courses have 18 holes - not 20, or 10, or an even dozen?
During a discussion among the club's membership board at St. Andrews in 1858, a senior member pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch. By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the Scot figured a round of golf was finished when the Scotch ran out:-)
Tuesday, January 18, I started my day at 5:45 a.m. I was wide awake early today after going to bed early last night. It's kind of fun to get up before it is light outside. Not a creature was stirring in Pleasant Grove. It only got down to 33 degrees last night. I used the time this morning to clear 128 messages out of my email (it almost felt like old times at work, NOT!) I found some pictures my friend, Holly, sent showing a lady's car in Canada who had a tangle with a moose!
Bob and I had a lazy morning. Around 1:30 we went to Wal-Mart in Tyler. On the way back we had lunch at Rudy Mikeska's BBQ. We walked in at 2:45 and noted they closed for lunch at 3:00; so we just made it. It was typical Texas BBQ fare. We had chicken with the usual watery red sauce served on the side along with the ubiquitous onions, pickles, white bread, beans, potato salad, and Cole slaw. We opted for a few different sides just to break it up. Banana pudding and tapioca made for a nice treat for dessert.
Back home we read the paper; all five pages of an edition shortened by yesterday's holiday. We watched two documentaries (Jack Johnson & The Concorde) and slipped in an NCIS in between. It was a low-key day that stayed chilly; barely made it to 50 degrees.
It's 45.2 degrees at 11.43 p.m.