Thirty one days, the month of January, is a great start for whatever change you may want to make in your life.  So many ways that 2023 can be part of your plans to choose what makes you happy!  Losing weight, changing jobs, trying a new art form: drawing, painting, wood carving, writing, wallpapering a wall (or a room — wallpaper is on trend this year!), walking, biking — oh so many more things you could do.

Someone said that when she got out of bed she would say, “Get ready to go on stage!  Pull up those covers and make your bed, tuck your pj’s into your pillow, get dressed, put on your socks and shoes  — all before you leave your bedroom.”

Here are some habits that I think are real winners.  Routines help keep things orderly, and an orderly life frees up time and space for the people and things you really love.

When you come home from work (or finish your work from home), change your clothes and hang them up.  

In your closet as well as your own life, discard what you don’t use.  Clothes that haven’t been worn for a year can go to the charity bin and someone else will wear them.  

People who don’t return your calls and not worth hanging on to.  And also those who have nothing good to say have nothing to make you happy.  

Take this next year to develop warmer more meaningful relationships.  

Do ankle circles.  Every day.  Exercise with weights to retain your muscles.  You need to as you age.  Try doing your workout as soon as your feet hit the floor when you get dressed.  In 1/2 hour you can then make your coffee.

Keep your car clean.  Never leave anything  (I mean anything in your car that is visible to anyone walking by) in your back or front seat.  Thieves will break your window if something looks valuable.

Recycle, reuse and regift.  If you have a vase that your Aunt Mary gave you years ago and you have enough vases, then give it to one of her kids.  They may be really happy to have it!  

Keep a happy jar.  Anytime something makes you happy, make a note of the day and time and what made you happy.  How exciting to revisit a jar or more of happy notes!

Talk to elderly people in line at the store. Open with, “How is your day going?” That’s much better than, “How are you?”, which can feel like prying.  

It’s amazing how happy you may make this person. He or she may live alone and not have had a conversation with anyone for a long time.  Maybe days.  

365 days to make a difference.  Happiness is worth a try.  You’re worth it!

We had some chilly days in week two but that didn’t stop us from going shopping.  Lisa and I went to Golf Galaxy and although there weren’t any purchases made there was an offering of lessons by LPGA pro Tara that Lisa was planning to check out later.  We stopped at a hair salon and made a booking for some color for Friday.  (Not very successful). The mall with Macy’s at one end and Dillard’s at the other end was our next stop.  Lisa needed a pump for her bicycle tire and we stopped at Dick’s Sporting Goods to no avail.  We decided to take Tropicana all the way past the Strip to Las Vegas Golf and Tennis some eight miles away.  It was interesting.  I tried on a pair of golf shoes and that was a mistake.  They went back four days later as they were too heavy.  

It was a bit cool for golf but Tracy managed a couple of games while we kept close watch on the weather forecast.  Lisa and I planned to go to St. George and golf at Sky Mountain but the forecast was for a high of +10C with wind warnings.  So we opted instead for golfing at Coyote Springs on Sunday, November 13.  The forecast high was +15C with a bit of wind.

Off the three of us went Sunday morning just after 9 a.m.  We had a nice sunny drive up #93 highway off I-15.  There were clouds ahead of us to the NW when we arrived at the golf course. And it was windy.  Lisa hopped out of the SUV to take a picture and she nearly blew away!

This is the entrance off the highway to Coyote Springs.

It was COLD, it was WINDY. It was REALLY WINDY. We went to the driving range and it was so windy it was hard to stand let alone hit any balls so we went back to the Starter at Hole #1. He said we could join the couple of guys on the first tee. We drove up and they immediately drove off down the fairway. As hopeful as we were that the wind would, maybe, let up — it was not to be. Tracy and I golfed the 18 holes and Lisa tried to keep warm on the golf car while chauffeuring me to all of my shots. (I gave her my rain pants and the extra jacket I had but I think she was still cold). Tracy hits a high ball and had more trouble than my shots that day as I don’t hit that high a ball. I was so sorry that the day was so miserable as the course has such a beautiful layout.

We were so happy to get into the SUV and get the heater on. Lisa took a great picture on the way back to L.V.

We had tacos from Tacotarian that Tracy picked up and they were SO good. On Tuesday, Lisa and I were out checking glasses frames and we went there to have lunch. It was so delicious and such a cool place.

The phone rang for this 87 year old. It was my daughter Colleen.  She asked me if I knew the 2022 Alberta Seniors Ladies Championship was playing at Priddis Greens July 26 to July 28?  I said yes, I had an email re the tournament.  She said she thought I should play in it and she would caddy for me.  I said I hadn’t played in a provincial tournament since 2007 when it happened to be at Priddis.  Also my game has not been good the past couple of years.  She asked if I could  play three days in a row and I said that wasn’t a problem. 

With the registration help from Colleen and the entry fee by Bridget I was in the tournament. Then I got to work on my game with my grandson Alexander via videos from LUXEMBOURG!  Three visits to GolfFuture to hit balls from the second story with shots all recorded on a golf simulator. A couple of trips to a driving range and nine holes of golf at a Par 3 course (walking).  My main problem over the years has been pushing the ball to the right, not slicing, just pushing.  And other stuff needed fixing too especially stance, alignment and grip. I knew I had my work cut out for me I had not been playing good golf for some time.

I played a Practice Round on July 19 at Priddis, with two gals, Caroline and Tracy (who is playing in the tournament).  Tracy was really helpful as she had played the course before, It was very, very hot that afternoon and we started playing at 2:05 p.m.  Colleen caddied for me and checked my alignment, cleaned my clubs, and did all the stuff that caddies do!  We four had a lot of fun and some good shots too.

Well now it is Sunday before the tournament starts on Tuesday.  

I have done the physical changes that I hope will make for a more consistent golf game. Now it is time for me work on my mental game. 

I don’t like to dwell on negative happenings in my life and even in my outside world.  It can make you miserable and it doesn’t help you manage the situation.  Even with this Covid pandemic I have always looked to how lucky I am even though I have spent a lot of time alone. The comforts and conveniences I have every day are a far cry from the conditions in “the dirty thirties” when I was young.  

Golfing….    With positive thinking, you can take in the reality of where you are right now and create a positive solution for what to do next. Thinking in a positive manner no matter where you are can lessen your anxiety and help you make good decisions about what to do now.

The most important thing to remember is that you can control your thoughts to think about what you want to happen and ignore the stuff you don’t want to happen. Yes, it takes time to train this mental process, however, it does work. See a positive picture and allow the rest to come together. Regardless of your level of ability, your body will do its best to create the picture you give it.

These are some of the ideas in positive thinking I try to follow, especially before a golf game.

Back to Sunday before the tournament.  I get a video call from Colleen.  She is in tears. She says, “Mom, I won’t be able to caddy for you in the tournament.  We have a major problem in Quebec and we have to go there right away.  I’m so sorry, (more tears and sobbing), really sorry as I was really looking forward to caddying for you”.

Oh I said that is so sad but you have to do what you have to do.

I called Bridget as I thought maybe her son, my grandson, would be able to caddy for me.  She took a few seconds to say he couldn’t but SHE would come. Then she said she was coming to watch me anyway.  I said I wasn’t surprised at the last statement as she loves to surprise people. She did to me once before in Phoenix and it was a total surprise with tears of joy!

The tournament was Tuesday-Thursday, July 26-28 and Bridget arrived at my door Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. and we were off to Priddis Greens for my 11:35 a.m.tee time. The Marshall told BK she had unlimited access on the course and that made for less walking for me.  Perfect.

Tuesday morning we arrived at the course about an hour before my tee time of 11:35.  After registering up on the second floor of the clubhouse and signing the 2022 Seniors banner we headed off to the range. This was up a steep hill from my golf car.  The range is, of course, elevated a bit and has a spongy surface to stand on.  Lots of good balls to hit. Bridget was right on when it came to me doing things right with grip, alignment and slowing down my swing. All tips  from Reno.

We arrived at the first tee and Bridget received her Caddy bib.

I was happy to connect with the ball on the first hole!  

We played with Winnie and Sandy on the first and second day.  Really good people to golf with, kind, considerate, happy and fun.

The golf course is beautiful, the fairways are wide, the greens are quite big and fast. I hit some good shots and some not so good shots. Some good chipping and putting and some not so good. Bridget had my distance figured out really quickly with all my clubs. The main problem was I didn’t listen. Well, my mind and body were still not synchronized. But by Thursday I had better control. I actually hit three sand wedges inside 12″ of the flag. In hindsight, I should have done the changes to my game two months ago not two weeks ago. However, I’m so happy now as on the whole my game is much improved. I just have to make sure my setup is correct.

The tournament was certainly well planned. We had the championship meal when we finished our round on Day 1. Each participant chose either salmon or chicken ahead of time and there was no waiting till everyone finished playing for us to eat. It makes sense to not have a banquet at the end of the three days as many have a long way to travel to their homes.

Alberta Golf (Priddis): 102 competitors testing their skills on The Raven course at Priddis Greens near Calgary this week in the 2022 Alberta Senior Ladies Amateur Championship. The event is for ladies over the age of 50, there are a number of flights and divisions, even 87-Year-Old Leslie Maureen O’Shea is in the field. Four ladies are within one stroke of the lead after round one including co-leaders Daniela Pacheco from Redwood Meadows Golf and Country Club and last year’s runner-up Celina Lam from Woodside Golf Course. Pacheco shot an ever par round of 72 with 4 birdies and 4 bogeys.

The third day was my best day and I really felt energized. We played with Jo-Ann and Phyliss, two lovely ladies. The weather was perfect all three days. I want to thank Alberta Golf, John Deneer and all the staff for putting on a great championship. I would also like to thank everyone at Priddis Greens for having the golf course in fantastic shape for the tournament. Many people behind the scenes including the maintenance crew need a round of applause for all the hard work involved to present this course so beautifully.

Truly CELEBRITY STATUS.