The Masters, Tiger and Business Hope

I began my 550 Words project two days ago after Zooming in with writing teacher Linda Lowen, who I’ve known for a long time as an accomplished author and media contributor. I decided to join the project when faced with an unexpected three month medical sabbatical and needing daily focus.

We were told by Linda to write about anything we want as long as we write a minimum of 550 words a day and signed a “accountability tracker”. I have considered myself a ‘writer’ since 2007 when I created my first blog post and when one of my short stories made it into “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms” edition in 2009. When you see your words in a print publication or even onscreen one might classify themselves as a writer.

“By the end of this project, you will have a 50,000 page publication ready for print,” Linda said. I was startled by the number. At first I thought I would write some speeches, blog posts, training programs for my business return, but then I became excited about writing a “novel” in 3 months. So what would I write about I asked myself? What is burning a hole in my spirit to pull up and spill out? Linda said, “Your ‘book’ will die when you die if you don’t put it down in writing.”

As I faced the first blank page to be filled with 550 words, I started writing about my love for sports and how I was inspired by my parents who were both Physical Education majors when they met in 1963 and how my early life focused around swimming, downhill skiing, water skiing, ballet and sailing before I was ten years old. We lived on a lake and every day we spent it outside in the elements. I know my love for sports, which has continued the past 50 years, was because I was born to them.

A funny thing happened his morning as I started my second day of writing, I had to plan my writing time around watching the Masters. I love watching golf although I can’t perfect that sport. As I watched Tiger Woods return to the Masters for the first time in three years after taking his own “medical leave,” I realized if Tiger could return to the Masters one day, I could return to my business when I am healed. I needed that hope and inspiration today.