I caught a bit of the Easter Sunday morning broadcast from Augusta. The Masters was plagued by poor weather over the weekend, but Tiger made the cut for a record-tying 23rd consecutive time. However, he slipped while walking on the slick course and aggravated a foot injury, plantar fasciitis. I watched him walk away from the camera, holding an umbrella in the rain, and he looked...old.
Tiger is 47 years old and I'm 55. We've beat our bodies up in far different ways. I felt badly for him, in part because I'm feeling some of the same aches and pains he is...but probably not to the degree he does. I've come to the conclusion that in addition to working to maintain what I have, there's always room to work on getting better. But that's not as easy as it sounds.
Just the other day, I had a bout of nausea, something which rarely happens to me. I was working outside when it hit, and immediately I thought of a number of friends and family members who have recounted to me their heart attacks, which started with nausea. Immediately, I began dwelling on this and it took me a while to realize I wasn't having a heart attack. Looks like it was more than likely a combination of lack of sleep and tuna salad that was a little old. With an abundance of sleep, I made it through to this morning.
As I got going with Tuesday morning, my show prep kept pointing to the same things - know your limits and grow yourself. Spring is here, and I'm planning on taking better care of myself both physically and mentally. What I'll lack a bit physically this year, I'll work on with more learning. My plan:
- Get more rest
- Make my physical efforts worthwhile
- Learn something new everyday
- Live life affectionately
- Stand for what I believe
Join me, won't you? I'll need a bit of accountability, because that'll make things a little easier. Someday, I'll be the one walking into the distance with the umbrella in a cold rain, and I'll be better prepared and hopefully be an example for someone.