The Power of the Written Word

We write things every day. A post on a friend's Facebook wall. A tweet sharing exciting news. A caption on an Instagram photo. Words, written words are everywhere. Yet the written word that we partake in every day seems to fall short of feeling. We all receive text messages from friends and we don't know how to interpret them. Are they mad? Is it just a statement? What is the underlying meaning? It's part of the world we now live in, this uncertainty when it comes to the written word, yet it holds power over us in ways that we don't realize.

I received a hand-written letter from my grandmother today. I'd like to say that again... a hand-written letter. I know what you're thinking, of course it's hand-written, it's your grandmother. This is true, but Patricia has a Facebook and is quick to pick up the phone. The power that her handwriting held was astounding. There is no "undo" or "delete" when it comes to a hand-written letter. You write in the moment and I think there is something to say about feeling and meaning the words that you write.

I'm a total hypocrite as I sit here writing this blog post on my computer. I constantly change the wording in my sentences and delete words, but I also believe what I am writing. There is something so wonderful about the simplicity of a hand-written note and I love it. Don't be shocked if you get a letter in the mail from me sometime soon. I kind of love the idea of bringing hand-written letters back. I'd like to apologize in advance for my handwriting, though.

Actions speak louder then words

Faith is personal. It is something all your own and no one can take it from you. But, God calls us to share our faith and His name. While many people rely on reciting scripture, I have always had the intention, or simply hope, that my faith and God's word would shine through my actions and my words. It's a difficult task. We all fall--me, both figuratively and literally--but Christ's love is worth getting back up for.

A friend confirmed my hopes tonight when she shared her own revelations about faith and God with me. I apologized that I never said anything about my faith to her, that I had never helped her along in her faith. With complete serenity, she told me that I did. Looking back, she can see God's hand through our friendship and encouraging words. It is so simple and, yet so powerful to know that my day-to-day actions are seen as more then movements. It's a great reminder that, while we are constantly being judged and scrutinized by others, we also have the power to show compassion toward them. Actions are a dynamic thing that so often get over looked.

I've always had this notion that blog posts are supposed to be at least two or three solid paragraphs. Yet, this is all I have. I am still wrapping my head around the idea; I had so many thoughts running through my head that I needed to at least get one written down. So, here it is: God loves us and He calls on us to do different things, lead different lives, and share His good news in different ways. Lead a life that God would be proud of and let your actions be your words.

Life is sweet

So many times I see posts or Buzzfeed links to articles on how to live a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life. I click on the links and read the articles and, many times, repost them. It's a never ending cycle. However, what I have failed to realize until now is that every time I clicked on those articles I was saying, consciously or not, that I believe my own life isn't healthy enough, that I'm not happy, and that there are simple steps I can follow to make my life more meaningful. These articles are asking me to "buy in" to the idea that even when I'm at my best, I can be better. Constantly. Better. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

What I've come to realize is that it's a never ending cycle of disappointment. I read an article that told me I didn't know ABC about being in my 20s and I could be happier if I did XYZ. These social pressures make me look at my parents, who grew up before this huge social media presence, and ask if they were happy in their 20s. How could they be? They didn't have these articles and social media posts helping them be happier and healthier. Yet, I reflect on this past weekend when my brother and his fiancé (now wife) said their vows surrounded by family and friends. I could feel the love and friendship radiating from each and every person in the room. That is a life worth living for and a life to strive for, but I can guarantee that you won't find that in a Buzzfeed article.

Just a few days away from the clutter of social media made me realize that I'm tired of trying to perfect my life. When I block out social media, I can see that my life is pretty great. Sure, I fall and go through tough times, but who doesn't. Those tough times don't mean that I'm any less happy than my neighbor. Those harder life moments are where I lean on my faith, family and friends. I want to turn my focus to the here and now. I'm choosing to be happy with the life that Christ has given to me. It is enough. So to all those articles that tell me I'm missing something in my life... Thank you, but I'm content with my life. I want to be proof that life is just as sweet as I choose to make it. So, I'm making it a double fudge, ice cream sundae with M&M's, whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Realizations

I never imagined that it would be this difficult and take this long to transition back into the college lifestyle from my internship. I've realized two major things since ending my internship:

1) It is so much easier to be yourself with strangers. 

When I met my team back in May, we were all starting from scratch. None of us were Facebook friends, a few of us had met during the interview process, but we were all starting with a fresh slate. We introduced ourselves and were allowed to get to know each other over time. We set the pace for our bonding, but we were together everyday so we learned quickly. There were no preconceived notions and, for me, I was able to be myself without fear of judgement. These people didn't have a choice; they were stuck with me, just as I was stuck with them. We accepted each other's faults and strengths and learned to pick up where someone was not as strong. We became a team, a family on our own terms. 

2) There is more to life than Athens. 

I was fortunate enough to work on some amazing golf courses and to see some spectacular cities this summer! Every town had its own flavor and beat that we got to be a part of for a week. It opened my eyes to the beauty and diversity around the country (or at least the central south) and that Athens is just another city on the map. I will say that it has a very cool, urban, hipster beat with dedicated fans that I love, but it is just a city on the map. My fellow dawgs are cringing right now; I just committed the ultimate crime by saying that Athens is just another city. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed my past three years here and I will be yelling at the top of my lungs when the dawgs tee it up between the hedges in Sanford Stadium next month. My summer experience taught me to see Athens as a stop on my own life map. I'm here for a bit longer then our tournaments this summer (4.4 years longer), but I have bigger and better things on my horizon. It's a chance to learn and grow and I'll seize the opportunities that come my way, but moving on when graduation rolls around will be a welcomed change in my life. 

There is so much that the world has to offer and I'm ready to break the ties that a college town wraps around you. I'm excited for my senior year, but I'm excited for life after UGA as well where the slate is clean and there's more to do!

Day 75: Final goodbyes

I can't believe that I said goodbye to the rest of my team this morning. Brett and Tori were so sweet and drove me to the airport at 4:15 a.m. for my 6 a.m. flight. That is the sign of a true friend. None of us were ready to say goodbye. It was so hard to say goodbye to those two especially. They were two of my closest friends this summer. I leaned on them a lot during the stressful times and celebrated with them during our triumphs. 

I honestly can't believe that it's over. I felt like I was going through the application process forever and the. The anticipation for the internship to start seemed to last for an eternity. Now, as I look back on this amazing summer, I refuse to believe that I'm done traveling from city to city and hanging out with my team 24/7. The weirdest part right now is not preping my book bag for a day on the course tomorrow. When my parents and I got home, I immediately asked my dad if we could go to the driving range. Not only did I miss the smack of the ball as the club hit it, but I never actually got to hit a golf ball this summer. It was fun to go out and attempt to hit a golf ball. I was horrible at it (as in only touched the golf ball 10 of the 50 times I swung the club), but I really do love the sport and want to pick it up!

I learned so much this summer. For starters, I learned about golf. Seventy-five days ago I didn't know that the holes on the greens could move, I didn't know how to write about golf (who carded what?) and I wasn't even comfortable in a golf cart. Now, I can write a golf story in 15-20 minutes flat and I can talk to juniors about their round and actually know what they're talking about. I also learned so much about myself and working in a team. My team is absolutely amazing, but we had a LOT of different personalities. It was hectic and clashed at times, yet we always figured out how to power through an assignment and resolve an issue. I learned when to ask for help and when to work harder to figure things out on my own. I learned to keep and open mind and be a sponge, soaking up as much information as I possibly could every day. 

From my host families to golf course staff to the players and their parents, I have met so many amazing people. Since our team was in Louisiana and Texas for most of the summer, we got to see and get to know a lot of the same kids. They're really great kids and are so talented! We were able to see them improve their game and grow as individuals throughout the summer which was rewarding in itself. It sounds crazy, but I'm really going to miss the juniors that I met and got to know, especially the ones that actually laughed at my corny jokes in the starting tent!

My entire team was taking bets on when, not if, I would cry yesterday. I held it together until I got home. I took a nap after my dad and I got back from the driving range. I woke up, sat straight up and couldn't figure out why I wasn't in the backseat of a truck (Friday's were travel and nap days). When I realized that my travel days and the internship were over, I lost it. I couldn't help it. My heart still aches at the thought of leaving my team. We're from all over the country and, while I really want to stay in touch with them as will make an effort to, there's a strong possibility that I will never see them again. It's a weird feeling and a hard thing to come to terms with. 

As I look around my room and mentally prepare myself to move back to school tomorrow, I feel so, so blessed. This summer was life-changing. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I had no clue that I could accomplish so much between 5-11 a.m. I didn't know that I could rock a polo every day and that I could become obsessed with golf. This summer was one of the best experiences of my life and although I am exhausted both mentally and physically, I wish that I could start it all over again tomorrow. It was by far the best summer of my life!

Day 74: Last day

My last Twitter photo for @AJGAGolf.

I can't believe that today was my last day of work. It seems like I just started a week ago and I just started to get the hang of all of the assignments yesterday. I was on tent tops, table skirts and side panels this morning with Tyler, the tournament assistant. He completed the internship last summer so we spoke about his experience and mine and how to stay in touch with teammates. It was a good way and a good conversation to start the day with. I actually stayed in the starting tent and started the groups off of No. 10. It was fun to get my last bit of announcing in since I didn't get to start yesterday. I actually started one of the girls that I started at the Chateau Elan tournament during training. It was cool, but a weird realization that that occurred two and a half months ago.

After all of the groups were started and my teammates continually called on the radio to say "this is your last ____," I went out on the course and took final round action photography. I have surprised myself with my photography this week. It was a special tournament with so many sponsors so there was a lot of pressure to capture everything and highlight the sponsors' involvement. I had uploaded 30 photos before the first round even started... Normally I have about 30 photos total at the end of a tournament, so I was really proud of the 67 photo Facebook album for this tournament. When I was
ready to upload the final round photos this afternoon, I wrote the captions, Michael checked them for grammar and spelling and then hit upload. When I checked them, all of the captions had erased, so I had to go back through and re-write all of the captions. It was so frustrating, but I was able to rewrite them in just 30 minutes.

Best part of the bag was that most of the
memories were written on the back of
timing sheets and Pace of Play forms.

Since we were short staffed, we took on a lot more tasks than we normally would. It was an exhausting week; I'm not sure I've ever worked so hard for so long as I did this week. Our whole team really stepped it up and I was so proud of everyone's attitude and willingness to take on more then what was required of them.

To end the night, we went over to the Tournament Director's home for dinner. She made a delicious meal and we all ate together, but after dinner she insisted that just the six of us (our "family") go up to the rec room and hang out. I had been keeping a "Team 3 Shits and Gigs" bag all summer, which was just a zip-lock bag that I filled with quotes and funny memories from throughout the summer. We sat in the rec room and passed the bag, each picking one slip of paper with a memory out and reading it to the group. It sounds so cheesy, but it was a highlight of the week. One person would grab a slip and start laughing making it impossible to even read the memory or quote. When it was finally read aloud, someone would launch into another memory that the quote reminded them of. It was a full hour of just reminiscing about the summer and enjoying one last night together. It was perfect.

Last team photo. Love these guys!

Day 73: Multitasking

Today definitely sets a record for the number of different tasks that I completed. I started the day by putting up tent tops and table skirts. While I was out we realized that there was an error on the live scoring sheets, so I reprinted those when I came back in. From there, I headed over to the starting tent to take equipment surveys as well as start the groups. The first group got off on time, but we had to delay the round due to severe weather before the second group went off. When I got into HQ, Casey, our TD this week, had me make some signs and post them around the clubhouse. I was going to stay awake throughout the delay in case we needed anymore signs or website updates made, but after the second 30 minute delay it was nap time. Tori had claimed a club with a soft head cover on it, so I took the little nook that Megatron (our paper carrier) and the starting boxes made. I didn't want to be seen by people walking in the door and I think I accomplished that!

When the weather finally cleared and we headed back out on the course, Brett took my spot in the starting tent so that I could help Casey in HQ with other tasks. I ran out and took some photos of the leaders. While I was out on the course I gave a ruling, which is bound to happen. I was also sitting on No. 17 green when the current leader boy slammed his club down after a bad shot. I was sitting right next to our Senior Rules Official and we went to check out the spot once they holed out. He had taken a divot when he hit, but the club slam caused a three inch impression just off the green. It was a penalty that kept the player from leading the round.

When I got off the course from taking photography, there was a huge ice cream truck sitting next to the putting green. I walk over and it's complimentary snow cones for players and officials. It was the best surprise of the day! I got all of the photos uploaded on Facebook and we got out of the office just 20 minutes after the ops. We went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner, which is the first restaurant that we ate at for our first tournament. Tonight's dinner was my last restaurant meal so it was cool to start and end with the same place.