Back in June, here in Michigan, we experienced several tornados and a lot of wind and tree damage, flooding and power outages. However, late one Monday afternoon, I was able to sneak in nine holes of golf between rain drops. I’m a fairly average golfer (24 – 26 handicap) and I called a friend who is a really good golfer, probably single digit handicap who played Big Ten golf at Michigan State University, to join me.

I usually have to have a little self talk to remind myself that it’s OK if I’m not as good as she is. Needless to say, that was never an issue. I don’t even know what our scores were that day, but it was absolutely one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I’ve ever experienced. The bad weather was blowing out of the area and it was starting to clear. The sun was popping in and out of the clouds. As we were walking up to the fourth tee, my friend pointed and said, “Look!” Straight ahead of us was the most adorable little, spotted fawn all by itself. He could barely walk. We just stood there and watched him stumble into the brush. There was no mommy to be seen.

As we made our way on to the fifth fairway, we happened to look up and see a full rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo, violet. Every color was vibrant, expanding from one point of the earth to another. I don’t know if there was a pot of gold at either end, but it didn’t really matter. The site was worth every penny.

When we finished the round, I don’t even know how we scored. But what I realized was that it didn’t matter. I had just experienced the most relaxing, beautiful nine holes of golf. I think we golfers often forget how lucky we are to be out there in such beautiful environments and get so caught up in the game that we forget to enjoy the ride. In addition to playing the nine holes, my friend and I got to know each other a little better, vent a little about our spouses (very little J) and take in the natural beauty of the sport.

Think about the last time you took in everything around you as you were participating in whatever activity it is that you choose (walking, biking, swimming, boating, etc.). Take time to smell the roses if you will. Take in all of what is going on around you and acknowledge your gratitude. You may even want to make a gratitude list and refer back to it weekly as a reminder.