Next summer thousands of golf fans will make the trek to Hartford, Wisconsin, for the U.S. Open golf tournament. Hartford, which is 37 miles northwest of Milwaukee, is one of those small towns that you know still exists, but always surprises you when you come upon it. It is small, quaint, and in a nostalgic way, beautiful, as it reminds those of us living in the hustle and bustle of the city that "small-town America" still exists in select corners of our land.
Given the busyness of life, I was amazed to find myself at Erin Hills last week with two friends in the packaging industry, and my father. Sadly, I have to admit that these kinds of events rarely happen. In fact, they happen so infrequently that I don't feel guilty for taking advantage of them when they do!
What is it about the busyness of our lives that this is becoming more and more the norm? Am I the only one who wants to just get away every once in a while? Perhaps this problem is just mine to deal with. I suspect, however, you can relate.
Somehow, someway, there we were nevertheless. As our tee-time approached it became evident that Mother Nature was going to delay our start with the gift of morning fog. As the sun peeked out over the clubhouse, you had to pinch yourself to make sure you were still in Wisconsin and not in Ireland. It was absolutely majestic.
Soon we were on the course and our arduous journey had begun. Paying homage to the game's roots, you can only walk Erin Hills. This actually involves a little climbing, descending, and about 8.5 miles of hard walking, but all this is absolutely perfect given the fast-pace world we live in. The walk was therapeutic.
As we played and walked I had a few moments of reflection. The two friends I was with are relationships that have been built over the last five years. They both are a little further down the road than I am—an admission for which I’ll probably owe them each a bottle of wine—but the three of us see the world similarly and share the same values. I feel like I can have conversations with both of them about business, faith, family, and what really matters in life. I can be real with them without worrying about any repercussions. The authenticity and transparency is shared.
The irony is that the three of us are working on a major project together. While I suspect, and hope, things will go well with this project, its reality had no barring on the golf round. While someone would tell us that we missed an opportunity to hash out some aspect of the project, I don't think three of us would agree. After all, I learned that when we face danger and find ourselves in a nasty waste bunker, all three of us can find a way to escape. Eventually!
Of course I would be remiss not mentioning how meaningful it was to also have my father there. I suppose that is a longer post, but suffice it to say for now that seeing his expertise on the golf course never gets old. It was also fun introducing him to two guys that have become friends and hearing them begin to form relationships with him.
What this experience taught me is how important it is to invest time in these kinds of moments. My default is to work. My default is to do the next thing on the to-do list. My default is inbox zero. When I am not careful, I become a slave to all of this.
And that's why I am sharing this story.
I hope this story reminds you that as important as your to-do list is, relationships are more so.
I hope this story reminds me the same.
The reality did.
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