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Winners of last year's Write a Dear Reader Contest: | ||
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Dear Reader, This weekend I turned a corner. I have been playing golf for 3 years--three long, frustrating years. I took it up when I got engaged to my husband, thinking that it would be a great thing for the two of us to do together. In fact, his wedding present to me was a set of women's clubs. Well, thank goodness that he is a patient man. Despite hours of lessons and dozens of games, I could never quite get it together. When I'd go to the tee box and drive the ball, it would dribble along the ground instead of flying in an arc towards the green. More than once I wanted to break the club over my knee after hitting the ball into the bush, water or sand. But this weekend, miraculously, everything came together. I can't put my finger on exactly what happened. Maybe it was that tip I recently read in a golf magazine--something about dragging your club along the ground in your backswing. A simple and basic tip, but something I was missing from my routine. It could also be my new golf instructor--no matter how many times I "whiff" the ball, he is endlessly positive and encouraging: "You've almost got it Catherine! The mechanics are all there--all you need to do now is connect!" Whatever it was, the ball was flying up into the air, with a decent amount of distance and accuracy, to the point that the group that I regularly golf with was gasping with surprise! A friend's small son even told me, "You're good at this game." With a giant grin I replied, "No one has ever said that to me before!" Could there be any more breakthroughs on the way? Golf isn't the only area of my life where I have invested a lot of time and effort, only to reap constant frustration. Sometimes the aggravation and disappointment is enough to make me want to pack it in. But what if success is just around the corner? Maybe one small adjustment or one encouraging word is the only thing standing between victory and me. Maybe the next breakthrough is just around the corner. Catherine Schinkel
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Dear Reader, What if? I am the queen of what ifs. I do it constantly and I am an expert at it. What if I lose my job? What if the car breaks down? What if my kids get hurt? What if I plan that great vacation and then cannot come up with the money? For years I have dreaded the what ifs. They haunt me late at night. I have tried everything I can think of to make them go away. I have tried to be positive and reassure myself that things will turn out alright [they almost always do after all]. I have tried plugging my ears and saying 'lalalalal' to try to drown them out the way my kids do when they don't want to hear each other. Every trick I have tried so far has failed. Today a friend of mine who has known me for years offered me a few what ifs. 'What if everything goes perfectly? What if you get a raise? What if you find what you are looking for?' For the first time I am excited by my what ifs! I am eager to try it out for myself now. What if I win a vacation? What if my kids bring home straight A's? Or better yet, what if I win this contest and get to have a Dear Reader column for Suzanne?!? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. What if... Pam Hooper
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