Repetition: Golf & the Rosary
The other day, my mom and stepdad came to visit. We went to breakfast and came back to chill and enjoy the morning together. As we were chatting my stepdad mentioned that every time he has played a round of golf, he has come back so relaxed that he would take a nap. He never figured out why golf was the one thing that would do this to him every time.
This got me thinking.
When you play golf...
1. You're outside in the sun and in nature, so you are connected with where you come from.
2. You usually play with a colleague, friend, or family that you genuinely enjoy spending time with.
3. You have moments of solitude and awareness. When you go to swing after spending 10 minutes trying to find your ball, you zero in on the ball. It's just you and the ball, and you can do this.
4. There's silence too. There's a known rule in golf where everyone is silent as you focus on the ball and your swing. Silence, even for a moment, helps you to forget all of your worries and stressors.
5. The repetition of the game is key. Every hole is different, but the swing, the clubs, the ball, and the focus should remain the same. Repeating things aids in bettering your game and aids in calming your mind.
Well doesn't this just connect to everyday life? Spending time in nature and with people you love has a positive impact on your mind. The tingles of the warming sun on your arm can relieve the cooling of the dew or the warming hug from grandma can make all the difference. Everyone needs silence and solitude to recharge their personal batteries. That one hobby or the little "me time" you get is such a sacred time. Repetition is just like repeating yourself to your kids until it clicks or like a painter who repeats stroke after stroke of the brush for hours upon hours until the canvas becomes a piece of art. It's all very therapeutic.
The same goes for the Rosary. We repeat the same prayers for five decades, and then some. Why? It gives us the TIME to QUIET our minds. It gives us TIME to focus and enhance AWARENESS--it's just us and the beads. It gives us SILENCE and SOLITUDE to recharge our batteries with God. We repeat the prayers so that we can zoom in on the words to how they resonate today. We repeat the words that we can contemplate and lift up our intentions, wants, needs, and desires to Mama Mary. As we reach up to her, she reaches back down to embrace us with our every need and passes on every word, thought, and contemplation to her son, Jesus Christ.
Who knew that golfing and praying the Rosary could be so similar?
JMJ+
