“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”-Wayne Gretzky
Five years ago, I knew nothing. I had an idea of what I wanted, but that was about the extent of it. No specifics. Oodles of unknowns, but I had an idea, and that was a great place to start.
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Let me begin by saying that the creation is far from perfect. I miss my North Carolina family and friends. I miss my former colleagues. I miss walking around Uptown Charlotte. I miss the Town of Wingate. I miss going to Panthers games, especially when they didn’t suck. I miss Bojangles.
Let me continue by saying that the creation is also reliant on many pieces of dumb luck. I had no idea that I was moving to one of the best small coastal towns in America. I had no idea that I was going to enter the world of outdoor living simultaneous with the onset of COVID, which encouraged an outdoor lifestyle. I had no idea that I would be joining an industry that was just starting an unprecedented boom. I had no idea I would stumble across a hidden gem of a golf course, which of course, is no longer quite so hidden.
But the rest, the rest had to do with that idea. Five years after moving from North Carolina to Mississippi, here we are.
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I am a 41 year old male, and I love sports, which is no different than any other 41 year old male, except for one slight difference. I love sports so much that I thought it would be neat to build a sports lifestyle and become totally immersed in it. Consider this: sports can be played, sports can be watched on TV, sports can be watched in person, sports can be a part of a cool trip, sports can be bet on, sports memorabilia can be collected, sports can be coached, sports can be taught, and sports can be your job. Most sports lovers might choose a handful of these to enjoy.
Not me. I chose them all.
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On any given day here on the gulf coast of Mississippi, you may find me doing any of the following: watching my son play basketball or soccer, working as a golf professional at Shell Landing, playing a competitive golf tournament, practicing, teaching adult lessons, coaching my PGA Jr. League, riding down the street to the casinos to place a sports bet, riding over to New Orleans to watch a Pelicans game, watching March Madness on television, listening to NBA Radio, researching the next big sports trip, or trading sports cards with my son. On a hohum normal day, I do five of these. On a good day, I do seven. On a spectacular day, nine. (My body won’t let me do all of them on the same day anymore.)
That may sound extreme, but that’s the lifestyle. That’s the creation. That’s what has come about from an idea, some luck, and lots of observation, studying, and trial and error.
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Five years ago, I was a complete outsider in so many ways. Five years ago, I was the low man on the totem pole. In this new life, five years ago, I was just a baby. As such, over the last five years, I’ve had to get good at some things to make this creation happen. I had to set my ego aside. I had to learn immense patience. I had to learn to lose and understand that losing is an integral part of getting better. I had to become comfortable with an entirely new risk/reward spectrum. And though I was already pretty good at it, I had to master the skill of being able to pivot and adjust. This is a COMPLETELY different way of life. Not perfect. Damn lucky. Reasonably well designed.
Immersed in sports every single day. What a grand idea.
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Have a great week.-Benj
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