Despite the dinner that merrily got extended beyond midnight, he is unbearably chirpy at this ungodly hour. After a quick shower, he dresses up in shorts and a tee to match. I look at him curiously, as the clutches of sweet, early morning sleep refuse to let go, tightening their clasp over me and lulling me back into the rapturous world of winks and snores. After spraying on a generous amount of deodorant over himself, he plants a kiss each on my forehead and the progeny’s.
Today is a special day indeed. After years of relishing kabab and sharaab, in the midst of emerald greens of the golf club, my better half has finally decided to put the membership to better use. A golf set has been arranged and the alarms of the house have been sorted. To a person oblivious of sport, especially golf, the game seems to be merely a polished version of our very own desi marbles! The golfer goes from one hole to the other, going through the same ordeal. This game is utterly boring to watch, how monotonous must it be to play! Biting my tongue and refraining from cracking any more wise ones, I bid my budding golfer husband goodbye, and return to the cosy warmth of the quilt. Once he’s back, we discuss swings and balls over breakfast. “It’s all about technique. It’s an intelligent man’s game. You won’t get it,” he states assertively after spending only the first few hours of his life on the greens! It slowly dawns upon me that his obsession with golf hasn’t ended here. My better half draws a list comprising special golf shoes, trendy sunshades, a hand glove and tees to match for the upcoming golfing lessons. This really is a rich man’s game, I lament in silence. The corporate mantra of ‘looking the part before actually becoming the part’ holds true in this case.
Our daily ritual of television viewing after dinner has undergone a complete makeover. Now, we watch a channel that broadcasts golf all day and night. To my utter disbelief, there really exists a dedicated channel for golfers, that too in high definition viewing! After much bickering, I manage to get hold of the TV remote, only to catch a glimpse of my husband practicing swings with imaginary sticks! Petrified as I am, I allow the Tiger Woods in making to switch back to his current favourite channel. The following morning, I’m greeted by a hideously jarring sticker on the back of our car. It says—Life is better when you’re golfing. Despite myself, I let out a suppressed smile. Come to think of it, this is what passion is all about. The ‘right time’ to pursue your interests and passions is here and now. It adds that little zing to our daily routine mundane activities. Once you find your adrenaline rush in sports, literature, music, dance, gardening, it changes you as a person. Hunter S Thompson sums it up beautifully, “Anything that gets your blood racing, is probably worth doing”. Then sacrificing sleep to hit a hundred balls from the driving range, under the blistering sun, seems to be a small price to pay for ‘life to seem better’. Don’t you think?
{{/usCountry}}Our daily ritual of television viewing after dinner has undergone a complete makeover. Now, we watch a channel that broadcasts golf all day and night. To my utter disbelief, there really exists a dedicated channel for golfers, that too in high definition viewing! After much bickering, I manage to get hold of the TV remote, only to catch a glimpse of my husband practicing swings with imaginary sticks! Petrified as I am, I allow the Tiger Woods in making to switch back to his current favourite channel. The following morning, I’m greeted by a hideously jarring sticker on the back of our car. It says—Life is better when you’re golfing. Despite myself, I let out a suppressed smile. Come to think of it, this is what passion is all about. The ‘right time’ to pursue your interests and passions is here and now. It adds that little zing to our daily routine mundane activities. Once you find your adrenaline rush in sports, literature, music, dance, gardening, it changes you as a person. Hunter S Thompson sums it up beautifully, “Anything that gets your blood racing, is probably worth doing”. Then sacrificing sleep to hit a hundred balls from the driving range, under the blistering sun, seems to be a small price to pay for ‘life to seem better’. Don’t you think?
{{/usCountry}}seeratsandhu25@yahoo.com
(The writer is an educator and blogger based in Chandigarh)