Stress, pressure, and anxiety can be brought on by all manner of things. Pending surgery to remove a cancer or replace an arthritic joint. A phone call wasn’t returned. Meeting new people at college or in a new residence. Watching your bride walk down the aisle. Years later, walking your daughter down that same aisle. Pressure is part of life.
Growing up I watched cartoons depict characters walking through a dark woods or a graveyard at night. Nervous and scared the little mouse tried to pretend the frightening circumstances just weren’t there. He paid no attention to the shadows. He tried to whistle, but his attempts to hide the fear increased his panic. I don’t hear many people whistling these days. Perhaps they’ve tried and heard only a tuneless rush of air.
What causes you stress on the golf course? Standing on the first tee. Hitting your approach out of the rough to a well-guarded green. Pitching over the bunker to a short-sided pin. A six-foot putt to halve the hole. Three professional golfers teed off this morning at the Open and yet not one of their drives found the fairway. Handling pressure is required to make it to the top even for the pros. But, the pros have an advantage.
Caddies. Each golf pro on tour has a caddy. Someone to help them read a putt, make a smart decision about how to hit out of the tall grass, and focus on taking their best swing. Golf, like life, is meant to be played with someone helping us through the dark.
How do you handle stress? What about your family? Is there a co-worker who is afraid of being RIF’ed? It’s always easier to whistle when there’s two. Take time today to help someone whistle in the dark.
