SOMETHING TO LOVE

Winner’s Check, Blue Hills CC, MO

Trevino, Watson, Couples, Azinger & Davis

I’m lovin’ the lyrics from the songbook of Jason Isbell’s album The Nashville Sound.  Some of the words from the track Something to Love include:

“I hope you find something to love,

Something to do when you feel like giving up.

A song to sing or tale to tell,

Something to love,

it’ll serve you well.

Just find what makes you happy,

And do it till you’re gone.”

I learned this lesson many years ago and it has served me well through those ensuing years.  Its nice to find a job you love so you never have to work another day the rest of your life, but that may simply not be available or not pay enough to support your family.  That’s where it’s important to find something off the clock that doesn’t have to pay anything.  In fact, it will probably cost some bucks which can be funded by your regular job.  And if that activity gives you pleasure and frequently takes your mind off the issues of your primary job for a short time, that’s an investment worth every cent.  As my wife used to say, “that’s much cheaper than therapy”!

The game of golf has provided that diversion for most of my adult life.  It gives me the opportunity to get out into nature and enjoy the company of people that I can be around five hours or so on a regular basis, provided the temperature is above fifty degrees.  Playing the game has opened endless opportunities to expand my personal and business social network way beyond anything I could have imagined.  I enjoy researching and trying all the changes to golf improvement equipment which has kept me in the game all this time.  And trying to keep in the game by staying fit gives me the incentive to join a gym and actually attend it! 

This blog has provided a lot of enjoyment and the release of creative juices that would probably have never been realized without this avenue.  It has provided an outlet combining two interests of both writing and photography.  It inspires me to read more current news articles and human-interest stories, including new releases of non-fiction books.  If I’m going to exchange my limited life hours for the pleasure of reading a book, I not only want to be entertained, but I want to learn something in the process too!  Photography and Creative writing also keep me alert to the world around me for inspiration, including traveling, volunteer work, teaching classes and listening to music. 

And once I discover something to love, you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll serve me well till I’m gone!

WRITING HAIKU

Sunrise Spirit, Kiawah Island, SC

Haiku has its origins in thirteenth-century Japan as the opening to a longer oral poem. It was shortened seven centuries later to the traditional three-line poem with a 5/7/5 syllable count. Mini-haiku uses a 3/5/3 syllable count and some use only one or two words per line. However, the rules couldn’t apply to translations in foreign languages where the metrical syllables could not be retained leading to an evolution of more creative applications.

Enlightenment and illumination are often expressed. Haiku emphasizes simplicity and directness of expression from nature, but not always. The focus can be on a brief fleeting moment in time that evokes a sensory response to convey a feeling or image. It’s been noted that the secret to writing great haiku is to be observant and appreciative of your surroundings. If you observe something that prompts you to say “Look at that”, the experience is probably suitable for a haiku. The Japanese go for “ginkgo walks” to seek inspiration in their natural rural or even urban environments.

I find that haiku of four or more lines which are sometimes known as haiqua seem to follow more traditional lines of poetic expression without the restriction of applying only words that rhyme. Adverbs are optional and it’s OK to continue a phrase or thought on the following line. I like the 5/7/5 use of syllables per line and so I also expanded them to 5/7/5/7 for many of my haiku’s. The traditional Japanese haiku are written in a single vertical line. Each completed line prompts the next stream of consciousness. And good haiku engages the reader to join in the experience. Try it!

SUNRISE SPIRIT HAIKU
Walking to the beach,
at the first sign of daylight,
the wood access bridge,
glistened in the morning dew.

As light pierced darkness,
an ethereal figure,
stood still and alert,
as I quietly approached.

This regal egret,
had slept in the green lagoon,
and was awakened,
by my presence this new day.

Our kindred spirits,
joined that magical moment,
and walked together,
within a rainbow’s shadow.