It’s tough for me to play good golf when I’ve got about a zillion other things on my mind, but that’s something that I’ve had no other choice but to accept this season. With all of the distractions that continue to mount with our upcoming relocation to London, I’d probably be better served just spending a couple of hours on the range a few days each week instead of getting frustrated with the lackluster playing that occurs when it’s obvious that you have no idea what you’re doing with a club in your hands. On no fewer than a dozen instances today, that “no idea” feeling really tried my patience, although fortunately I had a good playing partner on his game to help pick up my slack in our match against two other good friends who seemed more than up for the challenge.

It’s not like I didn’t hit a few good shots, but it was very much a scrappy round that has pretty much become the “hard par” norm for me this season.

The other thing dwelling in the back of my mind is the depressing distraction of knowing that I’m nearing the 4th quarter in the game of time with my friends here. I’ve been blessed to have a good number of friends to share this game with on a regular basis, and teeing it up with them now when my schedule permits reminds me of just how difficult it’s going to be saying goodbye to them in a couple of months. If that pressing dilemma wasn’t happening, I’d get a little more perturbed at myself for my indifferent playing from time to time. But knowing that each round now with them is going to be a close-yet-distant memory down the road I’m traveling, I’m reminded that the quality of golf doesn’t matter nearly as much as the quality of the time spent enjoying the company of people that you’ve grown to appreciate and care deeply about.

One of the great 19th century writers, Oliver Wendell Holmes, once said, “Friendship is a breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.”

You gotta take time to smell the roses in life.