A couple of weeks ago my granddaughter participated in her first gymnastics competition at the age of eight.
The previous week she had announced she was giving up gym. However, some encouragement from her parents resulted in her continuing with the sport.
During the competition, she won all her events, and was placed first overall in her age group. We were sent a photo with her holding all her certificates and different colored ribbons, a big smile, and proudly wearing her leotard.
Needless to say, she is not giving up gym anytime soon.
A couple of days after her achievement, I headed off to our nearby golf course to play 18 holes of golf. Almost every hole looks out over a beautiful bay, and I enjoy the approximately four hour walk.
As I hit the ball all over the place — I am an okay golfer who plays only for the fun of playing and participates in no competitions — I estimate that I probably walk between seven and eight kilometres.
I was having an average day until I hit the par 3, 17th hole. There was a bit of a breeze, and so I chose to hit a 9 iron about 125 metres. The ball went over the hole, landed on the green and rolled half-way up a bank. It seemed to stop for ages, and then rolled back down and into the hole.
My first hole-in-one and my final golfing goal achieved.
I decided to mount the ball as a memento, as seen in the above photo, and told my son that he would inherit it, as one cannot put a price on such an achievement.
He is a better golfer than I am, and has yet to score a hole-in-one!
As I have reflected on my granddaughter’s achievement, and on my memorable moment, I thought of some important life lessons my granddaughter and I can learn from our experiences, which I have shared with her.
- Never stop chasing your dreams.
- Celebrate the small victories, as well as the big moments.
- Don’t take life too seriously.
- Have a good sense of humor.
- Stay humble, and never forget that others have encouraged you on your life journey, possibly speaking to the potential you could not see.
Another cherished memory from a magical moment, a special achievement.
Have you thought about your magical moment? What was it?
