Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

A friend once told me, “Set your expectations low enough so you always have a chance to meet them.”

Good advice?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.

If you get past the negative perceptions of that quote – low expectations — it makes just a bit of sense for those (me included) who often set expectations too high so it becomes impossible to meet them.

Consider golf, my favorite sport.

Is your expectation “to go low” or “to have fun with friends outdoors” or both?

I read the following quote a day or so ago in “Links,” the name of an effort to incent groups at golf clubs around the country to study the Bible and learn from the “good book” as they play golf – and I am part of that effort.

The quote from the writer, Meridith Kirk (who is the wife of the slain Charlie Kirk; she is a writer for Links).

“Something has shifted in me:  I’ve stopped setting heavy expectations for myself.  When I do get the chance to play golf, I tell myself, swing easy, forget about distance, and just keep it in the fairway.

“It’s simple.  Gone are the days of demanding tight dispersion or perfect scores or feeling like I have to perform for others.  I just want to play ‘happy golf’– to be outdoors, enjoy good company, and embrace the moment with no pressure.”

That quote from “Links” relates to what my wife often tells me as I head out the door for more golf:  “Have fun no matter how you play.”

Good advice.  And I have been trying to follow it, at least for a couple years now.

Kirk, the writer, goes to relate contentment in golf to contentment in life, according to this quote from the Bible, Philippians 4:11-13:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances… I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation… I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

Her point is that contentment is possible, if as Christians, we allow God to rule our lives, not expectations.

From Kirk:

“With the last three years devoted to full-time ministry and the blessing of a rapidly growing family, we welcomed four grandchildren in just two and a half years, including a set of twins — the time to play 18 holes has become scarce.

“But something has shifted in me:  I’ve stopped setting heavy expectations for myself.  When I do get the chance to play, I tell myself, swing easy, forget about distance, and just keep it in the fairway.

“The Indian poet Sri Chinmoy said it well:  ‘Peace begins when expectation ends.’  In this season of my life, I’m finding peace with letting go of expectations, including unnecessary expectations of myself.

“I’m learning that contentment isn’t about performance on the golf course or in life.  It’s about surrendering to the season God has placed me in and trusting Him with what I can and cannot do right now.  And in that surrender, He gives strength, peace, and even the unexpected gift of a really good round of golf.”

Excellent advice from Kirk!