Turn-Turn-Turn

Greetings Golfers,

Fall is here. 

I didn’t like it as a kid. It meant going back to school. It meant that Summer fun was over.

Fall is a time of reflection. Falling leaves, shorter days and colder nights - these are all signs of a new change in the eternal circle of nature.

As a kid … I didn’t get it or want it. I wanted endless Summer.

Now I’m getting it. It’s time to slow down. And try to find balance. During the Autumn equinox, day and night are of equal length … a time of balance.

In the last few weeks … I lost a good friend … and welcomed Grand-baby #2 into the world.

As you know, we play music on our speakers leading into the Clubhouse. One of the mainstays is the Blood Sweat & Tears station. One of their best songs is “And When I Die”. It’s not a depressing song … it’s an uplifting song with horns … and the final line is “And when I die, there’ll be one child born in our world to carry on”.

It’s a time of letting go … not easy for me to do. 

In “Kinds of Power” James Hillman, the elder statesman of depth psychology, challenges us to learn from others about this: “For what the actor tries to achieve on stage is to ‘get out of the way’ so that the character he is portraying can come fully out. So too the writer and the painter; they have to get out of the way of the flow of the work onto the paper and the canvas.” Same with a golfer.

Michael Turnbull was an excellent golfer. And a good friend. Joe Oberle just wrote a great tribute to Michael on the MGA website. https://www.mngolf.org/News/Michael_Turnbull_19552022. Please check it out. I really miss him. If you didn’t know him … you’ll feel like you knew him after reading Joe’s article. Michael was really a character. 

Right after he died, my wife and I went to a concert of local musicians playing homage to the music from Laurel Canyon during the late 60s and early 70s. Michael and I were the same age and shared the music and craziness of those years. We were both on a “search”. I kept thinking about him during the concert.

Well, the musicians came back for an encore and played “Turn!Turn!Turn!” by the Byrds. Originally a Pete Seeger song, yet word-for-word from Ecclesiastes 3:1- 8.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

Yes there is.

Son Mikey’s wife Amy just gave birth to daughter Fallon Isabella. 

Life is not endless Summer.

Fall reminds us of the impermanence of everything. And brings home to our consciousness death and the challenge to live every day to our fullest. 

Sue Jeffers in “Embracing Uncertainty” said:

“Spiritual masters in Tibet used to set teacups upside down before they went to bed each night as a reminder that all life was impermanent. And then, when they awoke each morning, they turned their teacups right side up again with the happy thought ‘I’m still here!’ This simple gesture was a wonderful reminder to celebrate every moment of the day.”

I get it. I’m going to celebrate living. And, reflect on Michael and the past. 

Turn-turn-turn.

But I’m going to especially celebrate Fallon Isabella … and her 6 month old cousin Julia Jane.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com