Buddhist Golf

As I get older, it seems more and more people I know are turning to golf as a way of pretending that they are going out and exercising. Over the past several years I’ve watched many people set out to play a relaxing round of golf only to be reduced to a naked ball of quivering frustration and anger, and I must admit here that I have been one of those on one or two occasions.

So when I read about Tiger’s Buddhism at his media event on Friday, it struck me that this might be a way to golf salvation. Close your eyes and Imagine if you will, your favorite golf course inhabited by mellow foursomes of brightly robed happy Buddhist golfers enjoying the game for what it is and not what they want it to be. Now imagine yourself as a member of one of these foursomes and being able to enjoy every moment of the game and the day.

So the first step towards playing Buddhist golf is to remain calm and play the game as it comes, not as you want.

The following evening I came across a documentary on one of the HiDef channels about a Buddhist monastery in Thailand that has 17 tigers living among the monks and the other animals. According to the show, man is not the only animal that can reach enlightenment – Buddhists believe that horses, cows, water buffalo, elephants and tigers can also attain this state and so are spiritual fellow travelers who deserve to live and wander around the monastery.

So eventually, to play truly enlightened golf, we’d need a course which we could share with some of the other spirit traveling animals, and perhaps have little places to meditate at each tee before our tee shots. As I ponder this a bit more, I start to realise that perhaps what is required to make this happen is the establishment of a Buddhist Golf Association (BGA), and as a first step in this direction I am thinking about starting the Saskatchewan Branch of the Buddhist Golf Association (SBGA). The trouble is that I keep getting sidetracked into thinking about what Buddhist golf apparel would look like.

Therefore I need to take a time out and think about this – perhaps it will keep me occupied until spring comes and I can play outdoors. But if you’re still really bored and need something to ponder, what would the little meditation stations look like?

The photofinishing diet

As promised in MMX, here is the Photofinishing diet. I’ve been told I have to start every post with a photo, and I was pleased to find this shot of the apple harvest from the tree in the backyard. I was even more pleased that the apple made excellent apple pies.

In serious photofinishing, the condition of the processing chemistry is measured and plotted on a graph several times every day with the ideal outcome of having the plots stay right on or near the the centre of the graph. Each of the plots is connected to the next one by a line which allows you to see trends as they develop. On either side of the ideal centre point, running lengthwise and parallel to the centre point, are two sets of two lines. As long as your plot falls between the first pair of these line, the chemistry is doing fine. If your plot crosses the first line on either side of the centre, it indicates that you should start paying more attention and initiate corrective adjustments. If the plot moves across the second line on either side, it means the chemistry is “out of control” and if not brought back under control quickly it will lead to serious quality control issues and having to replace all the chemistry with a new batch.

The individual plots are interesting, but the trend of the plot tells the story and the same is true with the weight issue. I weigh myself every morning on the same scale, and have an ideal weight that I would like to be at. When I get to +5 lbs I know I need to pay more attention to the situation and at +10 lbs I trip self imposed flashing lights and klaxons crisis situation.

This past several weeks have been difficult with the holidays and mom dying, and by the time I got back from her funeral I was almost 10 lbs up from where I want to be. I am now paying much more attention to my caloric intake and working a lot harder at exercising so I’ve managed to shed 5 of those new pounds.

Unfortunately it’s not a magic diet – it requires that you pay attention to how much and what you eat every day. Cutting out the snacks is a start, but it also means more salads and fresh fruit and vegetables, and less fast and junk food. But I can tell you my back is very happy I’m doing this, and it’s also fun to have people get all excited about all the weight I’ve lost.

good luck

A fabulous video on the health care debate

I’ve been feeling guilty for not writing anything for a while, but the great summer weather has been just too good to waste by being inside. However, on the news this morning there was an item about the lies being foisted on Americans about health care reform, and I’ve been fuming all day.

And then I found this great made-in-Saskatchewan video that I have to share, and hope you all share too.

Getting Better

On a recent sunny Saturday morning, I woke up creaky but very happy. 1.) My diet is complete and there is now 25% less of me than there was a year ago. 2.) I am working on my core strengthening and learning how to deal with my back, and 3.) I can still play golf and WALKED an 18 hole round on a full size course!

This has been quite a year for me. I’ve always been a walker – golf gave me something to do while walking and an excuse for exercising but last summer I started to notice how stiff and creaky I was getting. A chance encounter with a 5 lb. blob of fat at a Diabetese Association display got me thinking that it might be a good idea to try to loose some weight, and so on Labour Day 2008 my diet began.

It wasn’t a fancy or extreme diet, just eating sensibly and avoiding treats and junk food. And yes, I learned to love salads. However, in October I did something to my back which resulted in me being off work and on pain killers for several weeks. I was told that I have two crushed discs in my lower back, and that there is no surgical solution that can fix them. There were things I could do, including loosing weight, exercise, physio therapy, and making life-style changes.

As some of you know, I’ve worked in television for the past 20 years and my doctor has been lecturing me about stress for at least a decade. I was surprise to discover that when I was laid up with my back problems and zonked out on oxycontin, I started to really relax and notice how good that “letting go” felt. This all got me thinking about all sorts of things, including all those things I wanted to do with my life, but hadn’t gotten around to. This in turn helped me to decide that I had had enough fun at CSCN-TV, and in April I took early retirement.

Slowing down this summer has been a wonderful thing. I’ve had the time to sort out and deal with stuff (both physical and psychological) that I hadn’t had time for in years. And although I know that I’m going to have to find some work to help buy cat food and golf lessons, I’ve had a great relaxing summer off.

Now it’s time to get ready for the next act in the soap opera of my life. I’ve reached my weight loss goal, and next I have to learn how to stay here. I’m getting rid of all my too-big clothes to make sure I can’t just back-slide into them.

But I think the biggest things I’ve learned is that it’s rather pointless to worry a lot about where I’ve come from and all the things I can’t do anymore, and it’s also pointless to worry too much about all the things I’ll never get around to doing. This leaves the here and now – this is where I am right now, so I might as well make the most of it. Life is never perfect, but most of the time it could be lots worse so I’m trying to appreciate what I’ve got.

go play in the garden

Sometime we can get ourselves pretty worked up about all the stuff we are trying to cope with. And I will be one of the first to admit to trying to carry as much of it around as possible for quite some time.  A couple of pieces of general advice -

* You can’t do everything – no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you worry, you can’t possibly do it all, so you’d be much better off to take a break form time to time and go sit out in the garden.

* Much of what we worry about isn’t really that important when you stop and think about it, and most of the important stuff you can only do so much about anyway.

* My mother in law taught me a great lesson about dealing with difficult people. Just be glad you don’t have to sleep with them. (if you do have to sleep with them, please watch for my remedial dating advice coming early next year)

7.10.09

Ask yourself – Is this a date, or am I now looking at this as an” investment”? If you are looking at investing in a relationship, the stuff you need to consider is different from what you looked at as a date. You have to kick the tires, look underneath and poke to make sure nothing is loose or falling off. I know that doesn’t sound very romantic but it makes for a better chance of the investment working over a longer term.

As they get older

Children get more expensive as they get older – get used to it.

Advice for Beginners

Welcome to my advice section where I will sometimes share the wisdom of the aged. Today’s opening thought is always wear clean underwear