Old Stomping Grounds

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Sixteen has turned sixty-plus.

When we were in high school we’d head up Shirley Road, make a stop at Carolyn’s house and buy a few balls that wound up in their yard from the course next door.

I parred the first hole.

Hit all kinds of shots in the middle of the fairway, and enjoyed every second of our round.

Couldn’t help but think of some of those rounds from long ago when we were trying to figure out our lives. Years ago, we spent a lot of time talking about the girls we were dating back then.

We miss those girls now, but we have lived lives that have brought us years of happiness.

But now we aren’t thinking about how we’re going to go about living decades…

…but how we are going to get out of the rat race and enjoy ourselves a little on the way out.

The game certainly hasn’t changed much…

…the Grape Apes hit some bombs and I just kept hitting it straight, keeping it in the middle of the course.

I hit the same tee shot about 15 times, and irritated my buddies.

Pops scared me a little when he parred a couple in a row, but I held on for the win…

…not that we cared.

“Those 45 years just flew on by,” I mentioned towards the end of the round.

“We’ve done all right,” Jeff mentioned.

Even the round went fast, but I hit the ball straight on 18 too.

Ready to face the week ahead.

All set to see how we negotiate the exit from the rat race.

I have a feeling we’ll be on the tee again in the years to come.

Let’s just hope that I beat them again.

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