Wandering in Wayne

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

J. R. R. Tolkien

Wind gusts were blowing at 26 mph. The temperature was 41°F. It was partly cloudy. The sun played hide and seek. There were no placards on the tee boxes. Nothing was clear, neither the weather nor the path. We had to guess everything.

I was playing at the Preakness Valley Golf Course for the first time. It had two 18-hole golf courses: the East course and the West course. The west course was closed for the winter.

Course conditions were good apart from the missing placards. If you are a regular winter golf player on the East Coast, you can move around the course without signs. Yet no golf course is ever without the specific character of “Golf Path Only.”

I was wondering whether playing without the signs and the placards was like living without literacy. I realized how difficult it is for an illiterate to move around the world today.

Computer-driven life and chip-led days operate almost automatically. Today most of us are leading our lives on a digital and binary basis. And thanks to Golfshot, we are guided through signless courses.

On my trip to China, I had feelings of being illiterate. Most of your education evaporates once you are among people who speak a different language.

When we don’t know how to express our feelings in their language, our feelings become meaningless to them. A word in an unknown language is nothing more than a tongue twist or a mark of designer ink. Only dictionaries help, and Google is the best one.

Language is one of the most important skills that humans have developed after the knowledge of edibles.

Language alone is not enough – the content of what you say is what matters the most. A lie is a lie in any language but the truth needs no translation. Sometimes the truth can be conveyed without uttering a word.

“Not the ones speaking the same language, but the ones sharing the same feeling understand each other.”

Rumi

Golf has its own language which is very codified. Since you are playing this game against yourself, whenever you lie or cheat in this game, you do it against your own self. As a matter of fact, whenever we think we are cheating others, we are basically cheating ourselves. Honesty is the best policy both in golf and in life.

Credits

Google

Preakness Golf Club 

Images

Scott Miller

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Health is wealth

It was a great get-together at his house that evening. All his family and close friends were attending this party. Everyone was enjoying Kamran’s company. He was a dashing performer and amazing conversationalist. His entire family were around him. He was sharply dressed, and his hair was shimmering in gel. He was the center of attention.

Kamran had been a brilliant student, created an exemplary start-up. Now he was a big story himself in his trade.

He was then married to a fairy-like girl. They were the most enviable couple in town. They had adorable kids. They were living in a manor in a very expensive neighborhood. They drove dream cars and lived a life of luxury. Kamran was a busy man at the office and a fulfilled person at home.

The party was in full swing when butlers announced dinner. Wow! What an amazing arrangement. You name it, they have it on the table.

While the people were feasting, Kamran sat in a corner with some salad on his plate.

They were so involved in their dinner that no one paid any attention to Kamran and his plate. I quickly grabbed a chair and sat next to him. I asked him why he was not eating regular food. He told me he had diabetes. OMG! At this age? He was barely 37.

What is wealth worth if you don’t get to enjoy it? What is life worth when you’re not healthy?

There’s an old saying that health is wealth. I refrained from speaking more on the subject since I have been ill myself in the past decade.

Just to remind us that our grandparents’ folk stories, our school books, and our Physical Education teachers have been telling us that health is the first priority. But we forget it in our pursuit of good careers.

Following is a copy paste from a 3 minute speech on “Health is wealth”, from a children’s course book. Year 5-12

Short Speech on Health is Wealth

Health is the biggest wealth for a human being in his/her entire lifetime. One can survive without excess money but can’t survive without good health. Health is something that we can’t buy with money but we can take care of it and we can cure it when needed with the help of the money. If a person is not having good health, he will not be able to enjoy his/her life to the fullest. Money doesn’t make a person rich and happy but good health does. Moreover, a person can’t feel complete and happy without good health. I came back from a young entrepreneur’s party with a heavy heart. On my way I decided I would do my part to reeducate the young about their health.

Speech on health is wealth

Good health is one of the main elements of happiness that a person needs in his/her life. We can see various people around us that are happy without having a lot of money. However, they are happy because they have good health and they enjoy their lives. We can also see many people that are having a lot of money and are rich enough to buy anything they want but still, they are not totally happy. Moreover, they are not satisfied with their lives. The reason behind the sadness of the rich people is mostly that they don’t have good health and they worry about this thing a lot. However, they can’t buy good health with their money.

How to get a Healthy Life?

If someone wants perfect health then, first of all, he/she has to improve the quality of the thoughts that generate and occur in their minds. When a person thinks positively then he\she improves his\her chemistry from within. For a healthy lifestyle, one should follow many rules and should also sacrifice many things in their daily routines. On the other hand, if a person spends half an hour on exercise daily then he/she will be able to eliminate the toxicity from the body.

Simple Ways for a Healthy Lifestyle

First of all, wake up early in the morning and do at least half an hour of physical and mental exercise of any type, whichever suits you the best.

Avoid or try to reduce the amount of intake of highly processed or toxic foods per day.

The easiest way is, increase water consumption on a daily basis.

Avoid soda drinks or drinks with artificial sugar content.

Also, it decreases the amount of consuming meat.

Start eating fish and vegetables as much as you can.

Avoid dairy products and alcohol as well.

Don’t eat fried foods or fast foods daily in excess quantity.

Spend some alone time and think positively about your future and present life. This brings positive vibes that boost up your positive energy.

Generally, a healthy lifestyle is the highest blessing that we should not take for granted. It is the main source of all the happiness in someone’s life. Money can help you in buying all the luxuries in this world but it cannot buy you good health. A person is totally responsible for his\her health and he\she has to take care of his\her health in all the possible ways by avoiding a few things and by adopting some new and good habits that lead to a healthy life. So, for well-being and happiness, it is important to switch to a healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion

Finally, we all are aware that our health is the most important wealth that we have. We know that we can earn money if we lose it once, but we can’t get back our good health easily if we lose it due to carelessness. Health is the only wealth we are born with and we even die with our health. So make a healthy lifestyle a priority.

Credits 

Topper

Google

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Spirituality Index

“We do not inherit earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Red Indian (Native American) Proverb 

We have many stages of growth in life, but nothing beats the season of adolescence. Like flora in spring, life at this age blooms fully. This is an age of activity, boldness, cheerfulness, dreams, dare, expectations, learning, surprises and so much more. This adorable span of growing up shines in all creations, whether flora or fauna. The direction of today’s youth sets the future of tomorrow’s world.

What we sow today is what we will reap tomorrow. Since most of today’s population has come far from sowing and reaping, i.e. farming, it has also shed most of the principles of the agrarian era. People in the Information Age have discovered the reality behind the superstitions, myths and taboos that they had been taught for ages. Hence, they now question authority in all areas of life, including their own beliefs and religions. This leads them to follow the secular laws created by different states. What seems to be missing is self-policing.

Religions were the main motivation behind self-policing. Religion was also a force driving agrarian societies. As a result, there was a certain spirituality among the people of that era. In industrial societies, people became busier and religious practices were curtailed and shortened, thus shrinking spirituality. The Information Age and the post-industrial world further decreased the role of religion in our lives. As the chains of self-policing became loose, it led to poorer self-control.

Now, free from the chains and boundaries of self-discipline, youth sometimes seek refuge in positive activities like fashion, music arts, etc. On the other hand, some also get involved in tobacco and drugs, bullying and violence, hero worship, selfishness, etc. Family life is also in a constant state of decay. More homes are breaking up every day, so is the disintegrating social fabric in our societies. There are so many other elements at work to dismantle the castle of humanity in the absence of belief and spirituality. There is no doubt that scientific advancement has contributed tremendously to our well-being, but the lack of spirituality is creating a bigger hole. We may not see it clearly today, but in the coming decades it will be visible enough.

“The intelligent desire self control; children want candy.”

Rumi

We either need to find newer sources of spirituality or we need to restore the old ones. In short, without self-policing and self-control, CCTV cameras alone cannot be effective enough.

“Unless a powerful spiritual movement sweeps the world, psychological instability will become the norm.”

Sadhguru

Credits

Quotes

Google 

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Golf – A winter Sport?

The sun shone brightly. The temperature was 45°. I was in a sparkling mood. I set the time to 1:10 at Sunset Valley Golf Course, the only available off-season near me. I was in outdoor winter gear to challenge the steeps & slopes that were aided by the chilly winds of Pompton Plains. 

I had iced Americano, water, and chocolate in my hand cart. The green shades made the green valley even greener. The leafless wilderness on the hills, under the neat blue sky, added more to the incredible landscape of the valley. It seemed as if trees and bushes on the mountains sacrificed their share of chlorophyll for the shining grass of the fairways. The hills had kept their lap, the valley green. In Punjabi, the green lap is an allegory of pregnancy. Isn’t each pregnancy a progression of life? Or maybe life is a miracle? Miracles only happen in the valley of prayers. And this valley itself is an answer to some prayers. 

The ambiance of the course, the January chill, the winter’s wind, the grandeur of the hills, sips of iced coffee, and the warmth of the shining sun made this round remarkably unique. No matter how I performed, a golf round in winter on East coast America always had a distinct fragrance and personal satisfaction. Yet it takes a certain madness to play golf in January in the New York area. However, the world is made by the wise. Only the crazy dare to seek its perks. 

“The hardest mountain to climb is the one within.”

J. Lynn

In the land of skiers and ice hockey, in the society of surfers and bungee jumpers, in the clubs of mountain climbers and peak hunters, playing winter golf is a humble participation in a collective effort. If only others could agree to a golfer’s point of view. I am proud to be a meek sharer in winter sports. 

“Go find yourself  first so you can also find me.”

Rumi

“Light the fire within

LeAnn Rimes

Credits 

Google 

Grammarly

Images: Sunset Valley Golf Course 

YouTube

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Salt of the Earth

“It’s not the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

Mohammad Ali

Logic does not live in hearts and the mind is no place for love. Passion asks no questions and reason looks for answers. A smile fills an eye and a hug doesn’t satisfy the hungry. Soil craves for seeds and the leaves don’t grow on the soul. Beauty is nothing without eyes and a flute only sings for air. Not all steps are taken for the journey and dance takes you nowhere. Rivers run one way and wind can blow in all directions. Thoughts need no tires and a song craves for ears. Not all that live need oxygen and stones do not breathe. Yet nothing is unworthy. All things have a purpose. What is the purpose of life? Golf? Hahaha.

Golf or no golf, we only live once. Yes, in life we need food, shelter and family. We should work hard for that. Yet that’s not all life is about. We can cherish life. We can celebrate it.

As Rumi saysmortal, “Every will taste death but only a few will taste life.”

Simplicity makes life easier but fashion makes it colorful. Grains are our lifeline but flowers make life more interesting. Although we need to quench our hunger in order to survive, flavor makes the meal tasty.

Money buys great comforts and good health helps you enjoy life. Those who desire more than the essentials, do work more and harder. They are the ones who cross boundaries and break records. They take risks and sometimes come so close to demise.

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”

T.S. Eliot

No doubt! Doing more than the ordinary requires a bit of wildness, a bit of dare and a bit of craze. Not all who go beyond are crazy. Not all those who are mad make achievements. Somewhere there is a salt, somewhere there is a drop, somewhere there is a click, that wisdom doesn’t grasp that takes you beyond. And it’s not a normal thing.

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it is something to get away from.”

Jodie Foster

It’s alright as long as luxury remains luxury. It poses a problem when luxury becomes a necessity. It’s alright as long as we want to stand taller than the others. It creates a problem when domination grows as a habit. It’s alright as long as you govern to serve. It becomes a danger when we make it our right to govern.

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”

Rumi

Credits 

Sunset Valley Golf Club 

Google

Quotes 

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

In for the Moment

“Only you can decide what happens in the next chapter.”

Unknown

Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Living in now and today is the greatest gift. A weather app can predict the temperature, a calendar can tell us tomorrow’s date, and a teacher can give homework for the next day. A boss can give us tasks and a lover can promise a future date, but everything still happens today.

“Unless today is well lived, tomorrow is not important.”

Alan Sakowits

The pendulum of time is swinging, but today never ends and tomorrow never comes. Thus continues the laziness that makes us put off today’s tasks til tomorrow.

Ever since I was deprived of golf because of the weather, I had been planning to start walking on the treadmill or in a mall. Every night I planned to walk and every day I postponed it until tomorrow. For the last seven days I have not seen that tomorrow.

Eventually, I tried to bring together three angles: it was Martin Luther King’s Day; it was bright and shining; and all I needed was an accommodating golf club. I turned on the ‘Golf Now’ and booked myself a tee time at a Meadows Golf Club, the nearest that was open. The greens were closed and flags were displaced. I was paired with a Korean who was fond of telling jokes mostly of oriental origin. I enjoyed his great company and strange accent. He knew how to make others laugh. And I love to laugh.

He said, “A puttless round of golf is like walking a horse.”

Anyways, I was happy I could walk. The course was not in a great condition itself but I give its management credit that they kept it open in such harsh seasons.

Sometimes you gotta fill in the blanks that are out there from within yourself. A golf course on the East Coast can only offer you that much. Your patience, tolerance, smiles and wide heart can make a round much more enjoyable. Same goes with life.

“If there’s light in your heart, you will find your way home.”

Rumi

I appreciate what this day had to offer me. It’s much better to do something today than to spend it waiting for tomorrow. Let’s celebrate today while we have it like this pond appreciates the shining sun.

Credits

Meadows Golf Club

YouTube 

Google 

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Stimulation of the Simulation

“Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality.”

Ralph Marston

Suitable weather is the utmost prerequisite for playing golf. This winter, I am stuck in New York. And the weather this year is unusually harsh here. That makes golfing out of the question. Although I am used to playing golf on almost frozen grounds, this year either I am feeling the effects of aging or the cold weather is more unfriendly.

So the only option that remains is the simulators. Golf is fun, an addiction, a satisfaction and a fulfillment. I admit so. Yet it is also a liturgy, a practice.

“Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”

Martha Graham

When we have the time and the weather refuses golf, that’s the biggest disappointment. Thanks to technical advances we have simulators now. I reserved a spot there yesterday. The staff at the simulator hall was very friendly. My cabin was fresh and ready for the round. I changed and got completely tip-top in my golf attire, wearing a half-sleeve and shorts. There was no better way to take revenge on that colder weather. I asked the attendant to set me up at Cypress Point Club at Pebble Beach, California. The greatest advantage of virtual golf is that we can play anywhere we want, short of going there physically.

Brushing my hair with my right hand I got my one wood out. Placing the ball at the right point, I waited for the go light to turn green before I took off. Playing at the simulator is more challenging than the actual golf. I finished that round at 101. In about one hour and 45 minutes. Putting is the real challenge here as well.

“Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me

Other times, I can barely see

Lately, it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it has been.”

Truckin’ by Grateful Dead

Songwriters: Jerome J. Garcia / Philip Lesh / Robert C. Christie Hunter / Robert Hall Weir

Today’s scientifically advanced human brags about their inventions, among many others, high-resolution cameras, three-dimensional movies and virtual golf. Yet humans’ love for virtuality goes far back. The history of daydreaming, fantasy and visions is as long as human existence. They just have learned how to create visual effects according to their fantasies. On top of that, artificial scenes are more colorful than the original. Their younger generation likes to see things online more than in their actual shape, like playing online football, etc. Playing golf virtually and on simulators is very convenient and attractive. It is growing on me fast as well. It is convenient, safe, handy and indoors, where temperature and possibilities are controlled. We can neither lose a ball nor drown one. Instead, we lose fresh air, getting in touch with soil, seeing birds, fragrance of the outdoors, the environment and the walk on the fairway, the walk that makes it worth the while.

“Shut your eyes so the heart may become your eye, and with that vision look upon another world.”

Rumi

Credits

Google

YouTube 

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Snow & Smog

It was the second Sunday of the last month of the year 2022. Without being predicted by the weather app, sleet began to fall. It gradually picked up the pace and turned into snow. From there, white flakes continued steadily for hours and hours. 

An unusual snowfall brings abrupt changes in activities and mood of the people.

When it falls, snow comes scattered and fragile. On the ground, however, it displays enormous unity and becomes a singular white force. Maybe it learns on the way from the skies to earth that divided, snow merely flakes, but united, it becomes a powerful entity. 

Temperature aside, snow takes over the entire atmosphere and whitens the cold ground. 

The branches of the trees that stand sad and leafless get covered by the snow, once again allowing the trees to make the landscape more pleasant. 

Not only does it cover the trees, snow also affects the colors of the landscape, the texture of the ground, the mood of the area, what it feels like to walk, and how people drive on the roads. Snow has its own set of rules. City governments and highway authorities have to sprinkle salt to keep the roads open. Snow trucks clear the paths, and people shovel in front of their homes. The whole outdoor lifestyle revolves around the snow.

Snow, in a way, resembles how fog affects Lahore. Both snow and fog disrupt the regular lifestyle. Fog lasts for weeks, however, while snowfall is mostly brief. Only the fog blinds; the snow merely hides. In fog, minds skid; and in snow, cars do. 

Fog represents cleverness, and snow encourages chivalry. Of course, no one has to agree with this analogy. It’s how I feel about these two weather conditions. 

Snow melts, but the cold persists. 

On the same planet, there are so many similarities and so much disparity. It is summer in Australia and winter in Asia. It’s freezing in New York, and it’s comfortable in Nairobi. Such differences are how nature likes to operate on this planet. The variety in weather conditions shows the breadth of the mind and imagination of its creator.

“Be melting snow, wash yourself of yourself.”

Rumi

Perhaps change is the language of nature, or change may be the song of ecdysis that nature likes to sing repeatedly. Not all white things that fall are snow. Some are even colder. And one is what we see in our hair as we age. The whiteness in our hair is the first sign of a decaying body. The news is that time is flying, and we are spending it unceasingly. We are not here forever. Let’s cherish this planet while we are living on it.

A Winter Bluejay

Crisply the bright snow whispered,

Crunching beneath our feet;

Behind us as we walked along the parkway,

Our shadows danced,

Fantastic shapes in vivid blue.

Across the lake the skaters

Flew to and fro,

With sharp turns weaving

A frail invisible net.

In ecstasy the earth

Drank the silver sunlight;

In ecstasy the skaters

Drank the wine of speed;

In ecstasy we laughed

Drinking the wine of love.

Had not the music of our joy

Sounded its highest note?

But no,

For suddenly, with lifted eyes you said,

“Oh look!”

There, on the black bough of a snow flecked maple,

Fearless and gay as our love,

A bluejay cocked his crest!

Oh who can tell the range of joy

Or set the bounds of beauty?

Credits 

Sara Teasdale

Weather App

Google 

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, Photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Mystic Saturday

“The work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the hard work on the images imprisoned within you.”

Rilke

Today the weather was relievingly better, touching 50° F. I browsed for tee times, and GolfNow led me to the Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern, NY, at 1:30 p.m. I was ready to tee off. There was no one else golfing at that time, despite it being a sunny Saturday. Finally, I had the privilege of playing alone. Although a few flights were already gone, at my tee time, I was taking off solo. 

The first tee was a dogleg. I played a required shot to perfection. A chilly wind was blowing toward me, but my first shot thoroughly warmed me up. I made a comfortable boogie. Since the golf course was preparing for a winter shutdown, the sign boards were taken off from all tees. There were no permanent sign stones on that course, which most courses do have. However, we technically don’t need those signs any more, because GolfShot caddies best. 

When God is the only fan present, and you have the fairway all to yourself, you perform so well. 

My shots and putting were surprising, even for me. I loved playing solo. 

Autumn is a sad season. The more naked the trees become, the more layers of clothing we have to put on. Happily, this was an unusually sunny Saturday. The green shades of vast fairways were uniquely conspicuous under the lines of shadeless trees, as if it was the striptease show of the once-green trees. My eyes were receiving millions of rays, while my brain was conceiving images from mystic dimensions.

I am a regular golfer, yet today’s round was much more than a routine. This solo flight was so revealing and mystifying. I can hear the rhythmic sounds of naked trees praying for a tolerable winter. The poetic alliteration of dry shrubs and the humming of yellowing grass appealed to the mercy and grace of the Lord. It is frightening entering into the North American winter!

The shining sun in the blue sky, however, spread the news of warmth. Sending out heat and light, it conveyed that the Lord loves the world, and he is the most merciful of all. 

The water in the ponds was already singing songs of gratitude. It had been frozen last night, and the next morning it was liquid again. The golf ball and I were also enjoying our journey of joy under the bright sun. 

I wanted to sing aloud the song of indebtedness in unison with the rest of nature at the golf course. This blog is one way of doing so. 

The walk on the course was so fulfilling. How could one shank or miss a putt when body, soul, soil, time, and weather were synchronized so well. 

No doubt, it was a soulful round on a sunny Saturday. Let’s hope we have a peaceful and sunny winter. 

“In winter the bare boughs that seem to sleep work covertly, preparing for their spring.”

Rumi

Credits 

Google 

YouTube 

Darlington Golf Course 

Instagram 

By

Ahsan Jamil 

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel. 

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com 

YouTube: Morning with Golf