This just in:  I’m a terrible golfer.  I’ve never really been good at it, shooting around 95 to 100 on the few times I golf.

Then something happened.

Last week I was at the driving range, hitting balls too far to the left or right.  I was missing every shot.

When this happens, I usually focus on something that I need to fix.  Maybe my stance is wrong or maybe I’m swinging too hard (maybe?).  This time, for the first time, I focused on my grip and I did so in a very specific way.

You see, some time in the past, I’d heard, “Hold the club no tighter than you would hold a raw egg still in its shell.”

I never really liked this advice.  How can I smash the hell out of the ball if I’m not holding tightly onto my clug?

Anyway…I decided to try this.  I decided to hold the club like a fragile egg.

I committed to this as completely as I could.

“Hold it gently,” I told myself over and over.  I closed my eyes and internally looked at the feel of the club; making sure there was no tension in my fingers, no pressure on the grip.

I opened my eyes but stayed focused on the grip.

There was no ball.  There was no driving range.  There was only the grip.

Then, slowly, I let the soft grip take the club back and then back down.

I struck the ball as cleanly as I have ever done.  For those of you that play golf…all I heard and felt was a soft “tick” when the club send the ball on its way.

I was stunned to see the ball fly so far and straight.  After all, I bare swung.

I tried this again and again…I got the same result.

I hit several balls and found that eventually, I was swinging poorly again.

I refocused on “holding the egg” and let go of everything else…and harmony returned to my swing.

Now, in case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t really about my golf game.

It’s all about being in the moment. Existing without fear, without expectation.

When I’m holding the egg, not only is there no driving range, there is no war.  There is no politics.

There is only the moment.

I have a list of things I do daily; all of them are designed to benefit me either physically, mentally or spiritually.  Today, I’m adding a new item to that list.

From now on, I will make it a point to “hold the egg” daily, if only for a few moments.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim