The Paradox Of Life

I just want to share this insights to all of you....

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways ,but narrower viewpoints. We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We work so hard, enjoy life less, laugh too little, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom."

So true and so sad...

Golf And Tee Times

As I have said in my previous post summer is almost over. Sept. 21 is the official start of the Fall season. This morning when I drove my daughter to school it was 58'F and foggy that I had to turn the car head lights and wiper on. This is the start of Indian Summer, a time of the year here where it is very comfortable during the day, sunny but with the temperature ranging from high 50's to high 70's during the day and chilly in the evening.

Being an avid golfer that I am, whenever the weather is perfect for outside activity, the first thing that comes into my mind is hitting golf balls in the fairways. Lately I haven't played as much as I want to. The last time I played was three weeks ago at Burke Lake in Route 123. But I have a small practice area in our yard for my short game and our basement's carpet as my putting green. With my handicap at 6, I need lots of practice to keep my momentum. I have a couple of tee times reservation with golf courses nearby and looking at my schedule this week, I think I will have the chance to play. My favorite golf course in our area is Virginia Oaks and Old Hickory. They're both challenging to me for their narrow fairways, lots of dog leg left or right, bunkers and water hazards. Making par or birdie is just so rewarding. As long as I stay in the fairway, I am fine. But the moment I am in the rough or in the sand trap then I have lots of work to do.

Golf to me is all about having fun. The reason I want to really fine tune my game is because I don't want to have many frustrations when I play. It is not fun when you always end up in the rough, in the hazards or woods and if you're unlucky, out of bounds. But you know what? Even if you're playing really bad, it only takes one nice drive, or a pitch/chip shot that sweetly landed very close or into the pin; or one very long putt that you sunk in and you will forget every bad shot you made. That's the beauty of golf. The reward for making the shot is very satisfying. You always feel that motivation to do better the next time. The challenge is always there and you know you can do it.

For this year, my only frustration as far as playing golf is concern was that I was not able to go to Myrtle Beach. It was one of my big plans early this year. But because of the bad weather and many hurricanes in the Spring, the planned trip was cancelled at the last minute. I wish, I had this site that I found a while ago while browsing the internet for golf getaway next year. The site is www.48hourteetimes.com. They provide golf reservation 24/7 in the Myrtle Beach area. You don't just get the reservation at the last minute, you also get great savings on fabulous discounts you get when you book through them. They are really an awesome 48 hour tee times source.

Well, here comes the time of the year when the temperature during the day is just perfect--not hot and not too cold. And the surrounding is so gorgeous with fall colors. This is the most fun time to play golf.

Time for me to play more!

Changes And Colors

It is almost Fall Season. I can hardly believe summer is over. I just completed the annual clothing switch-a-roo (packed away all the summer clothes and unpacked the fall clothes). For the past 2 days now, the air has been brisk and the temperature has been so comfortable the whole day. When I pulled off from the driveway this morning at around past 7:30, it was only 52'F. On my way home from work, it was 78'F... Then I thought of many things why I love Fall season. For two years now my daughters and I had been looking forward for a drive along Blue Ridge Mountains to view the awesome fall colors of the Shenandoah National Park. I wish we would be able to do it this year.

While driving my way to work, I could see the leaves are turning luxuriant autumn shades. Soon they'll be tumbling to the ground from their high perch atop the tree's tall branches. Not that long ago, I was so anxious as I watched tiny green buds began to sprout on the barren branches, heralding the arrival of spring.

Although I dread the thought of depressing gray trees and surrounding, cold weather and shoveling snow in the winter, I love the changing of the seasons. It really doesn’t matter from what season to another, I love the fact that there’s a certainty, a progress to the year that you can count on almost like nothing else in this life. Fall doesn’t care if you’re sad or lonely, it’s coming nonetheless. And winter won’t hold off until you’re feeling less anxious or manic. The seasons will change no matter what happens in our small lives.

Seasons put my life into perspective. I gaze out onto the trees in our backyard and know not only that some of them are older than me, but will be here for many years to come long after I’m gone. It puts some things into perspective for me. A perspective that the older I become, the faster the seasons revolve, progressing almost at a dizzying pace. The bare trees become full of life, luster and hope, only to fade and fall away, returning back to the earth, then gone. Some branches develop a fuller or more colorful foliage than others, but in the end each eventually arrives at the same destination—their final descent to the ground.

As I watch the transforming scenery I am reminded of a beautiful lines I read from a book, "a generation come and go, but the earth stands still forever." The names have changed, and the backdrop may be different. New families have been formed and new children born. Some marriages are successful, and some individuals achieve more colorful accomplishments. But each eventually repeats the cycle of life as love and birth changes season into loss and heartbreak.

Time flies really, really fast. In one blink of an eye, I’ve blown through 10 years in my life. Before I know it, I will be in my 50's, 60's or 70's. Decade pass by so quick.

Through the passage of time, I know I have developed into a stronger person, with deeper convictions and a surer sense of who I am. My goal is to continue evolving and becoming a much better person, standing tall and sure--while awaiting the time when my branches will actually touch the very heavens.