This is Part 1 of my series, How to Leave Something the Right Way.
I was driving from Michigan to Florida to start the next chapter of my life.
I could have taken a few different routes south. But I decided to go through Ohio and spend the night with a good friend who lives near Virtues Golf Club.
That gave me a chance to make one more stop.
I drove back to Virtues.
I didn’t make a big deal about it. I didn’t even drive around and look at the golf holes.
I just drove up that familiar hill, circled the parking lot, and stopped for a moment in front of the clubhouse.
And I said thank you.
Almost 15 Years
I spent almost 15 years of my life connected to that golf course.
When I first arrived there, it was Longaberger Golf Club. Later, it became The Virtues Golf Club.
Whatever name was on the sign, that place became an important part of my life.
A lot of the golf professional and general manager I eventually became was built there.
I learned about golf operations there.
I learned about teaching there.
I learned about people there.
I learned how to make mistakes, recover from them, and keep going.
I learned how to lead.
But when I look back now, the biggest things that came from that place weren’t necessarily professional.
My life changed there.
My career eventually took me to Michigan.
I met my wife, Bebe.
We had our kids, and they grew up around that golf course.
So many things I am thankful for today can somehow be traced back to that place.
That’s what I was thinking about as I sat there looking at the clubhouse.
I Wasn’t There to Go Back
There was something interesting about that visit.
I didn’t feel sad.
I wasn’t wishing I still worked there.
I wasn’t wondering whether I should go back.
I was happy.
There was some closure in it, but mostly there was gratitude.
I was about to continue driving south toward Florida. A new golf course. A new job. A new home. A new chapter for our family.
Before I did that, it felt right to visit a place that had been such a big part of the previous chapters.
Not to relive them.
Just to acknowledge them.
Thank you for the opportunities.
Thank you for the mistakes.
Thank you for the people.
Thank you for the lessons.
Thank you for helping me become the man I am today.
Sometimes We Should Go Back
We spend a lot of time thinking about where we’re going next.
The next job.
The next opportunity.
The next goal.
The next improvement.
I’m certainly guilty of that.
But maybe every once in a while, we should look backward too.
Not because we want to go back.
Because there are places and people behind us that helped us get where we are.
Sometimes they deserve a thank you.
They may never hear it.
That’s okay.
I don’t know if there is a deity, a god, or simply a universe that somehow hears these things.
But sitting there that day, I hoped something did.
Then I drove back down the hill and continued toward Florida.
I was ready for whatever came next.
But first, I got to say thank you.
This is the first article in my series, How to Leave Something the Right Way.
Over the next several posts, I want to talk about leaving places better than we found them, making decisions we can live with, knowing when our part of a story is finished, and eventually learning how to let go.
Have you ever gone back to a place that helped shape who you became?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments.