Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu

There is a natural flow to seasons. No matter where one is situated, the shifts and changes in the natural environment follow their own patterns. Sometimes these patterns will alter and slowly evolve into something slightly different, but overall the seasonality of the natural world doesn’t change.

When viewed through our human lenses, a season can appear to exist in singularity. We say things like “the start of another season” or “finally, the end of another season”, but this is a fallacy. All seasons build upon themselves and are directly connected to the previous ones. What appears to exist as one entity is really a collection of interconnected events that never stops. 

All seasons build upon themselves and are directly connected to the previous ones...

Think of this idea in terms of a tree. A seed for a particular specimen lays dormant until the conditions are right for germination to occur. Once growth is initiated, the young seedling is completely dependent on its brothers and sisters for protection, nourishment and the wisdom it needs to flourish. 

As this young tree grows, it is constantly affected by its surroundings and its environment. Each season builds upon the last and our young friend embeds the memory of each one in its very tissues. Think of the rings that we count on a stump to determine the age of a tree. The space between each ring tells a tale, one of seasonality and the elements and events that shaped it. 

With each passing season the tree grows in strength, flexibility and in wisdom. It learns to manage the seasons, letting go of the leaves of the previous one in order to rest and learn from the dormancy of the winter season. After a season of hibernation and silence, the spark of awareness is lit again in the spring, and growth begins again. 

Eventually all of the abundance, scarcity, storms, traumas and memories enable this specimen to mature  . One that is capable of aiding, supporting and providing the vital wisdom to the new seedlings nearby. It has learned not to fight or reduce the seasons of its lifespan down to a single event or something individual. Instead it fully recognizes the inherent flow of the seasons and the lessons embedded within them.

And so it goes with life as a golf course superintendent.  When we are new and fresh to the craft, we are supple and absorptive. We are constantly searching out new and exciting experiences all the while realizing how dependent we are on the protection and nourishment that comes from our older and wiser specimen supers. 

As we move through our careers, we gather experience and wisdom. We learn intimate and defining lessons from each season. None of these seasons exist in isolation, but rather build upon the previous ones. We experience the inevitable joys and sorrows, learn valuable lessons from all of the people that come and go, and accumulate vital intelligence from both our successes and failures alike. Like the growth rings of a tree, each season embeds in our tissues and defines our life in turf. 

We experience the inevitable joys and sorrows, learn valuable lessons from all of the people that come and go, and accumulate vital intelligence from both our successes and failures alike...

We learn to rely on and draw from the community that surrounds us. The network of roots and nourishment that comes from not only our extended turf community, but that of our families and friends serves to support and shape us as we grow. From academia, to sales folk, mentors, and not to mention all of the smaller daily lessons we learn from the colorful cast of characters on our turf teams, we learn, we grow and eventually become the specimen tree that folks begin to look to when wisdom is required. 

During our careers, if we can learn to tune into the flow of the seasons, then we can glean what is necessary. 

If we can learn to build upon the lessons they contain, both good and bad, then we create a well rounded perspective. 

If we can learn to let go of the leaves of the previous season, then we create space for something new to emerge. 

And finally if we can learn to take the time to rest and integrate the experiences contained within the seasons, we will learn to stand humbly and quietly within the forest of our lives. 

Thanks so much for reading.