72 In 52

This weekend I took one of my semi-annual trips to Central Florida to play some golf during the cold weather up here. I lived there for ten great years, and had real success professionally and personally. So fortunate to make and keep such great friends. Eight years after my departure from the Sunshine State, I go back and spend time with them and chase the little white ball around a well manicured course.

I truly felt blessed this weekend, to be able to play 72 holes of golf in 52 hours with the three best friends I have ever had. I've known my friend Ray in Florida for 13 years now. Don, who I go down there with every year, we've been friends for 29 years. And Tim, who is also a long time Floridian, I've been friends with for 40 years! It was truly a special time. We played 72 holes of golf in 52 hours on some of the best courses imaginable. We laughed, played well at times, badly at times, had a few drinks, and even smoked a cigar or two.

Truth be told, we ate so many chicken wings over the three days, I got chapped lips from them. That's when you know you've eaten a lot of wings. But as they heal, I look back at what was really important this weekend. What the four of us really learned. I think we all learned the same thing, whether we realized it or not at the moment it was all going on.

What we learned was how unbelievably rare it is for four guys to be in our position. To be lucky enough to have been friends all these many years, and now even decades. We all discussed it indirectly a time or two over huge mounds of food. How great the places were that we played, how much fun it all was, the great shots that we made, and how we busted each others chops over the ones that weren't so great. I felt a real appreciation this weekend not just for the tons of golf, but for the time together.

I noticed when we were playing well, we lavished in it. When one of us was struggling on the course the others were there for the pick-me-up. (And we all got our chance at that one.) This bunch has been through a lot together over the years. Good and the tough. Turns out that golf mirrors real life for this foursome. And this weekend it showed up big time. Friends that not only like to spend time together, and play the best game in the world, but friends that "got" the moment.

Yea, we played 72 of the finest golf holes that Central Florida has to offer, but that wasn't the best part. The best part was the solidification. We've been doing this a couple times a year for 8 years now, but this weekend I think in all our minds it set in concrete that this tradition will continue till we're all hitting drivers on par three's. And that's something worth celebrating!

Not many groups of friends can say it let alone live it. I'm lucky and I know it. And as time goes on it's good to "get it." Sometimes this getting older thing isn't so bad after all.

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