More Than A Golf Buddy

This is written from a man’s perspective. Feel free to translate as necessary, to fit your perspective.

Many of us have friends in life. People we share dinners, weekends and sometimes, vacations with. There are those rare people we turn to in our darkest times and they help lift us out. Often these are the people that make us better people.

Recently I got to thinking about how these types of people influence our lives. For me, the specific person I was thinking of, was my golf buddy. For you it might be your fishing, swimming, tennis or shopping buddy. For me, my golf buddy. Some guys will go out to the golf course (or favorite fishing hole) with their friend and commence drinking while they swat the ball around the course. I’m talking about the kind of buddy that is more significant than that.

Now, if you’re into sports of any kind, it is often said that a good playing partner will raise your skill level. I submit that if you have a real good golf buddy, they will not only raise your skill level on the golf course, but off the course as well as they will help you be a better man.

The really good golf buddy finds the best in your game. He learns quickly when to laugh it off and when to keep his mouth shut. The really good golf buddy gives you a pat on the shoulders and encourages you to hang in there. “Hole by hole” he’ll say. He picks the one good shot you’ve had over the last three holes and reminds you how great it was. He IS; a great example.

A really good golf buddy will engage you in “small talk” as you play. Lest you take your golf game too seriously. He’ll remind you of the beautiful surroundings. He has the ability to laugh at himself when he’s having a pitiful round. That is not easy, but he does it anyway.

The really good golf buddy is someone you want to be around. Chances are this person is this way in all aspects of life, not just golf. Yes, this is the kind of person we used to call “salt of the earth.”

I was thinking of this person recently as I began to pick up the sticks again. For financial reasons, I had had to give up regular play a few years back. Although I played when I could, my golf buddy continued to play with others. Then my golf buddy suffered a brain seizure that would end his golf-playing days. I only played one round of golf after my golf buddy’s seizure. I haven’t played in nearly two years and I haven’t played “our course” since he and I last played together.

My golf buddy had the greatest of outlooks right up until he passed away a few months back. I have longed for a return to the game of golf and recently started going to hit balls at the driving range. To me, the flight of a well-struck golf ball is a thing of beauty. As it sails into flight, I recall my golf buddy and wish he were here.

The return to golf and especially “our course,” will be a challenge. There’s the need to put the past behind and the desire to find a new golf buddy. A really good golf buddy.

As I have thought much about this, I have come to the conclusion that in order to find a really good golf buddy, I need to be one to someone else. And that, is what a really good golf buddy taught me.

Healthcare System

Got the bill for a recent hospital trip. All is pretty well. No complaints with the treatment or charges. However, the bill raises one significant question;

How much does the healthcare we receive really cost?

My bill arrived and the total charges were $15,279. The "contractual adjustment" was $11,719. Now, either the battery of tests, observation, care and diagnosis costs fifteen grand or it doesn't. I could understand if there's a slight adjustment in the charges because my insurance company may be a fast payer. But this is a 77% "adjustment."

Some might say; "well you're welcome to pay the full amount if you want to complain about it." That isn't my point. My point is that if the true cost for the services was in the neighborhood of $13,000 - $15,000, how are the doctors, nurses and the hospital itself expected to operate for very long if the insurance companies strong-arm the providers into submission? And if this is how current insurance companies operate, will it get even worse when the Federal Government takes over even more of the paying responsibility?

I was in the hospital overnight and I got great care and treatment. I don't have a clue as to what it cost to provide the services I was afforded. One of my fears is that most of the American population has the same ignorance of the cost of medical care. In my case, either the prices are grossly inflated because the providers know they'll receive less or the prices are much higher than the provider is receiving for their services. If the latter is the case, how long can we expect such good care/treatment with pathetically low payments to the providers?

If you are knowledgeable of the healthcare costs/payment systems, please chime in.