JoeJoe Ross wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:23 pmWaxing philosophical, are we? Lemme!Al Sisti wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:48 pmPersonally, I think that's a great formula! Could I be the very best in the world at something if that's all I worked on... every hour of every day for my whole life? Maybe, maybe not. And if I achieved that? So what? Is that a way to spend our scant time on this marble? Life is so much more rewarding -- for me, anyway - to be a jack of all trades and a master of none.TPS wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:07 pm
That is funny you should say that my GF and I were talking this weekend how outside of career/academics we are both slightly below average at everything - like not good at anything and certainly not great - rock climbing, surfing, snowboarding, golf, darts, pool, coding, crosswords, painting, cooking, running... To be fair, she is actually quite good at a number of things but she counts them as all academic/career - I mean she speaks 6 languages other than English and has a Masters degree in French literature - but we generally suck at all of our hobbies which is probably why we have so many. I guess I am good at skydiving because if I wasn’t I’d be dead but even that I’m not great at. Oh - I forgot fantasy football - I’m pretty bad at that also - and poker!
An example of appreciating what the world has to offer: I've been playing more golf, lately, not having spent enough in previous decades to be considered average. I am getting better & my friends tolerate me. I've improved to the point of not being a hindrance, anyway.
Nearly everyone with whom I play is better than me, but there are a few who are simply impressive. It's fun to be there & witness some of the shots they pull off and pull off consistently. One friend, in particular, has a knock-down mid-iron shot he'll use as a rescue, or when a green is open & approachable at the front. For three decades, it still remains a thrill to watch him hit this shot. It's nearly poetic.
I have played enough to understand the innate talent needed to be awesome & the practice it takes to achieve higher levels of play. If I only watched the professionals play, I'd assume that the game was easy. Not having given it recent consistent effort, despite never being in danger of winning, I wouldn't understand nor appreciate the accomplishments & talent of others.
The experience translates, of course, particularly here. Witnessing others' abilities & being privileged to read of their strategies makes me want to try that much harder. Not to compete at their higher level, for I know my limitations, but to enjoy witnessing the process & improving where I can, so that I might be included in the conversation, occasionally.
[EDIT: grammar]
I took up golf in the mid 90's after playing tennis for 30 years. My index was about 14. When I retired, I had delusions of taking a half a dozen strokes off that - it did not happen. My conclusions are that since golf is a highly repetitive sport and you can lose strokes very easily, you have to practice, practice and practice some more and take lessons. There was no hope of me hitting the ball 250+ yards but I could improve from 150 yards in. The problem was that I have a lot of other interests and am not willing to dedicate my life to golf. So I accept what I can do, work not to totally screw up any holes and have a good time.
By the way, driving four carts around the course sucks. There is no conversation except at the tee and the green. And you can't even go in for a beer afterwards.