Early morning perfection

I played golf on four mornings before work last week.

I’m lucky. Buena Vista Golf Course is less than three miles from the school where I work. It’s an executive course – a short, compact nine holes – so I can walk the course in about 75 minutes if I’m playing alone.

I tee off at sunrise – currently 6:30 AM – and finish by 7:45 AM. Ten minutes later, I’m pulling into the parking lot of my school, more than 30 minutes before the bell.

It’s a fantastic way to start my day. Fresh air, exercise, concentration, passion, and the pursuit of excellence. Last week I saw three deer, a coyote, and untold numbers of hawks and rabbits.

The joy I feel while walking through that early morning mist, bag strapped to my back, as the sun rises and the sky brightens is indescribable.

A colleague recently discovered that I’d been playing before work, and she was shocked. Appalled, even.

“Don’t you have papers to correct?” she asked. “Lessons to plan? What about your family?”

As for the family, I make breakfast before leaving the house. Feed the cats. Fold laundry. Empty the dishwasher. Set out the lunches. Write for about an hour.

The family is good. Excellent, in fact.

As for the lessons and grading, it all eventually gets done, and it almost never gets done at sunrise.

I’ve been texting photos of the golf course to this colleague every morning, both to poke fun at her protests and encourage her to join me someday.

She tells me she’s too busy.

I told her this:

“Everything eventually gets done. The only thing we let down, ignore, or fail is ourselves.”

She may join me next week.