A golf ball, a memory, and a surprise lesson

I didn’t expect to get emotional at a driving range.

But that’s exactly what happened.

My wife got invited to try golf.

Naturally, I tagged along.

I was excited, but mostly curious.

We weren’t playing a real game. Just hitting balls at the range.

No pressure. No rules. No expectations.

At first, it felt kind of silly.

I gripped the club, took my first swing…

Missed.
Tried again.
Hit the ball, but it barely went anywhere.

Tried again. And again.

By the end of the hour, my arms were sore.

My back was tight.

And I was more tired than I ever expected.

And that’s when I remembered something.

My grandmother used to play.

I remember the trophies on her shelf when I was a kid.

Back then, they didn’t mean much to me.

But in that moment, sweaty, humbled, and holding a 7-iron?

I finally understood them.

I told my wife the story on the way home.

And something clicked.

It wasn’t just about the sport.

It was about trying something new.

That’s been my quiet mantra this year:

Do something different.

Say yes to the unfamiliar.

Test the edges of what I think I like.

Not always scary.
Not always strategic.
Sometimes just new.

Because you never know what memory it might unlock.

Or what version of you it might activate.

A coffee shop conversation.
A random class.
A new hobby you swore “wasn’t your thing.”

And suddenly… you’re not the same person anymore.

So here’s what I’ll leave you with:

When’s the last time you tried something new just because?

Not to impress anyone.
Not to optimize anything.
Just to stretch a part of yourself you forgot existed.

Try it.

You might discover something old… that hits completely differently now.

To your growth,
Vikko