It's a Hole in One!

Vacation time! It's becoming a summer tradition, our golf mini-vacation up north. Actually, I must confess, golf is the one remaining sport in which I can soundly beat my boys on a regular basis. Oh, but wait! Before you think I am a mean, competitive mom, read on. ( And for those of you wondering, no, I am not the kind of mom that always let her kids win at Candyland. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose - 'dems the breaks boys, learn to live with it!)

If you are the mother boys you see yourself changing throughout the years. You start out as a real hero, pitching the baseballs, teaching free-throw shots, kicking soccer balls and playing goalie in the hockey nets. Then they get bigger and want to play against you. Sometimes they win, sometimes you win. The comes the day when they are bigger, faster and stronger and all you can do is keep score and cheer from the sidelines.

And, this is where golf comes in. See, you need a little finesse, patience and focus - not typically skills of young pre-teen boys. I always liked golf for the calm, quiet chance to be outdoors, play a leisurely game and maybe snag a cold drink from the drink cart as it rolls by. The older my boys got, I realized it would be a sport we could all play together well into old age. So, regardless of how busy we are, every now and then we play golf. And, I beat them. For a moment, it's like when they were little, amazed I could cut with scissors, drive a car, make play-doh animals and read the really, really big words. For just a second they see me as someone they aspire to become - or at least someone they want to beat. Secretly, I love it. It reminds me that before kids and husbands and careers, I was an athlete.

As part of this green journey, I think it's important to remember who we are, who we were before that and what made us happy and unique. While golf, with it's grass, chemicals and excessive watering, may not be the greenest choice for a vacation, it gets us together as a family and enjoying the outdoors. Is it perfect? No. But is it good enough? I suppose. We didn't travel by plane, we didn't even drive terribly far. We are supporting a local family and business and spending quality time together doing something we all enjoy. Don't worry, we brought along our SIGGs, our organic cookies and pretzels. No matter how far we get from home, we always seem to take a little along with us.

So, while you read this, I am golfing. Probably sweating, I have a cold drink in the cup holder of my golf cart and my kids are trying to figure out how their mother, now lighter and smaller than they are, can whack the heck out of a golf ball on a course played by professionals. Hole in one!