Hi,
I hope all is well with you.
Lots happening this week, but isn’t that the same every week!
Possibly the biggest tournament in golf, The Open, has taken place, won by the new young gun on the circuit Rory McIlroy. I was interested in two interviews I saw with former great major winners, Sir Nick Faldo and Gary Player.
South African Gary Player is now 78. He still does 100 sit ups a day, but it was his infectious enthusiasm in his interview that struck me. Not one for the bland responses of the current media trained players, Player just says what he thinks, and is not afraid to express views!
He spoke about his age, but says that age is just a man made concept, that it’s up to us to decide how we behave, it’s up to us to decide what we can or cannot do. He also spoke about gratitude, his own gratitude for what the game of golf had given him, and gratitude that we all should think about more in our lives.
He also spoke about hard work. No surprise there! He said that people should not expect things to simply be given – people should expect to have to do something about it themselves, and to get ready for lots of hard work!
Nick Faldo is one of the most successful players Britain has produced. He spoke about some players who came close to winning Majors talking about ‘trying’ and ‘hoping’. Nick says you should never use words like that – you should use words like ‘will’ and ‘expect’. If things don’t go the way you want, then you look at what happened, and work hard to change things for next time.
Hmm, 2 massively successful sportsmen, both straight talkers which has cost both of them in the eyes of the media in their prime, talking about the words we use to ourselves, and the importance of hard work. Good old hard work. Good words from both of them!
Rock blues guitarist and singer Johnny Winter passed away. I have had several decades of enjoying his music, after discovering him on a vinyl (yes, I’m old) record collection called The History of Rock. I love discovering new music, knowing from the first time I hear it that I’ll be enjoying it for years to come!
Broadway legend Elaine Strich has also passed away. I knew of her via tv appearances when I was growing up, and knew her name was legendary on Broadway, but I’m sort of surprised I can’t really think of a signature piece of hers that comes to mind.
Actor James Garner had also passed away. I always remember watching The Rockford Files on TV when I grew up, and then in films like The Great Escape and the ‘Support Your Local…’ series of films. Garner had a languid style, and had little time for what he saw as the pretentious side of the acting industry. I like that.
Then there are the two big news stories, the war between Israel and Hammas, and the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner. Very difficult to see all the death in the war, and all the plane crash site being moved around by various ‘people’, while Russia stands by.
I suspect both episodes will end with some kind of political mish mash, which will either not last, or cause different problems further down the line.
It was Malala Yousafzai’s 17th birthday during the week. Shot in the head at 14 by the Taliban for wanting to read, she has used her high profile to campaign for girl’s education rights around the world. So much can be achieved through education, and for adults it’s a crying shame that too many people assume that education finished when they left school, and the opportunity to educate ourselves as adults passes too many by.
We had some great thunderstorms here in the UK to counteract the 33 degree heat. I did post on face book that lightning is something we see in the sky and post pictures of, but lightening is something done to hair, or maybe a mood! I just saw it too many times to resist!
Ok, I told you a lot had been happening, I’ll sign off for now! Let me know you thoughts, leave a comment below, and feel free to share, like, tweet etc!
‘Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. I’ve covered, sport, films, broadway and education. Are any of those a passion for you? I wrote a book “FB Passion Profits” about how to use social media to turn that passion into profits. You can grab a FREE guide covering the basics at FB Passion Profits – The Basics!
It really was a crazy week wasn’t it. Almost too much to take in. I loved James Garner, my favourite when I was child. I just loved his soothing voice. In these times of trouble I choose to focus on that soothing voice and to be grateful that I can watch the movies and various shows again and again.
Yes, lots going on! I think that voice had a big impact on his career, allowing him to really tap into that ‘languid’ character that he pretty much played in all his roles. I actually also liked his simple approach to acting and dismissive response to the ‘arty’ type of actor! 😉
Yes a lot has been happening hasn’t it? Your post opened with three of my favourite topics – positive ageing, gratitude and language – so really enjoyed what you had to say. As for the more serious stuff, it reminds me that sometimes it’s better when things are quiet or, dare I say it, a bit boring. Drama is interesting but rarely nice. Let’s hope for better news next week!
I enjoyed the subjects too – probably individual articles in due course.
As for the more serious stories, the news watcher in me was curious watching the BBC coverage – they didn’t seem to know which one to put as their priority!