I had to work this past weekend so Mason and Michael went to the tournament. I tried to stay updated via texts and the online leader board - which was hardly updated. Most of my texts included the words please, sunscreen and hydrate. I also threw in the text every so often asking Michael if Mason looked like he was having fun. His having fun on the course is way more important to me than his score. He is only 14. He has lots of time to try to win and place. You only get to be 14 once and if he is going to play golf 4+ days a week and we are going to devote hours this summer to golf outings, it HAS to be fun.
The best text was on day two of the tournament. Michael had already told me that Mason had kind of a rough couple of holes on his first nine of day two. I couple of hours later I get a text from Michael that says Mason wants me to check the leader board. So, I do. After his more difficult first nine, he had nailed his second nine and had broken 80 for the first time ever. I know Mason well enough to know that the score probably elicited a fabulous grin and some fist pumping. I LOVE that he wanted me to check his score, not because of the place he had finished in but because he was proud of himself for his comeback. Two years ago, he would not have been able to recover from a couple of bad holes. I have walked courses with him where he has gotten in a funk and not been able to get out which is evident in his attitude and his game. He has come a long way. He can still be hard on himself for a bad hole but his ability to see the bigger picture and persevere has grown tremendously.
Mason has a great group of kids that he plays golf with regularly. In general, they are a positive, fun group. There is one kid in particular that he always mentions to me that he likes playing with. His friend is younger and relatively new to golf. Many of these kids have been playing golf for a long time and are REALLY good. Even though they are friendly, I have to imagine it can be very intimidating to start with this group when you are new to the sport. But, this friend of his, has stuck with it for more than a year. He keeps showing up. He can have a rough round and he comes again the next day ready to try again. He is kind, friendly and positive even if he is pretty hard on himself. I know Mason likes playing with him because of his attitude and fun sense of humor. I have great respect for this kid who keeps coming back again and again even if he can't always see immediate results. As hard as it has to be to keep at something that seems to be coming easier to others, his friend is learning something even more valuable - the importance of perseverance. I have no doubt that it is going to pay off.
A few years back I ran the Helvetia Half Marathon. It is a hard half - beautiful but very hilly. Towards mile 12 I was kind of over it - which is unfortunate when you have 1 mile to go. I was running on a gravel road thinking of how miserable I was when a guy running just ahead of me, ran to the side of the road and threw up. Then, he cleaned himself off and kept running. If he feels bad enough to vomit and can keep running, I can probably finish a mile. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and we both finished the run.
There are many character traits I hope my kids exhibit now and in the years to come - kindness, empathy, faith - but perseverance is right up there too. No doubt they have awesome and fun adventures ahead of them. But, no doubt they also have HARD adventures ahead of them too. It's the kid who has learned how to persevere that is going to be able to get to the other side of the hard times in tact. I also hope they surround themselves with other people who are also committed to persevering because these kids - they are the ones going places. When things get hard, they are going to be able to go through instead of around. Don't get me wrong, if Mason finds himself on top of the leader board one day I will totally celebrate that victory. But, I will also celebrate the round where he had some hard holes but kept going. That's a victory too.
