Archive for February, 2008
inspiration on the golf course
I’m not a golfer or golf fan, but some stories transcend sports:
Legally blind, 92-year-old nails hole-in-1
On January 10, Leo Fiyalko used his five iron to drive the ball 110 yards and straight into the fifth hole of the Cove Cay Country Club in Clearwater, Florida. Although he’s been golfing for 60 years, this was Fiyalko’s first hole-in-one–and he didn’t know he had accomplished it until he walked up to the hole in search of the ball.
Fiyalko has macular degeneration, a disease that destroys the macula, the part of the eye that allows us to see fine detail. According to Yale University research, as many as 10 million Americans are affected by the disease and 1 million of those are legally blind like Fiyalko–indeed, macular degeneration has left Fiyalko with only peripheral vision in his right eye.
Of his amazing shot, Fiyalko said, “I was just trying to put the ball on the green.”
This inspiring story reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Les Brown:
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
P.S. Happy Groundhog Day!
*UPDATE: One of our most beloved central Pennsylvanians
PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HAS SEEN HIS SHADOW.
Sorry to say that means 6 more weeks of winter.
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[tags] golf, golfing, hole-in-one, leo fiyalko, stars, groundhog day, punxsutawney, punxsutawney phil [/tags]
1st of the month featured bloggers: february
When I kicked off the new BleedingEspresso.com a couple weeks ago (is it really only a couple weeks ago?), I told you I had some new ideas. One of them is:
1st of the Month Featured Bloggers
While you can always find my favorite blogs in my Links page (just click “links” in the above bar), I also want to take time each month and point you to particularly wonderful places that I know you’ll enjoy.
I’ve chosen two fabulous artists for February’s featured bloggers. Their work always amazes, inspires, astounds [insert more similar adjectives here]; I can’t tell you how often I’ve smiled, laughed, cried, etc., while visiting their blogs because they transmit so much energy and emotion with their words, images, and creations. The blogosphere is truly lucky to have them.
* Seamus Kearney of Shameless Words *
The first blogger is none other than the fearless (and shameless) leader of the Shameless Lions Writing Circle, Seamus Kearney, who blogs at Shameless Words. Remember the part of the collective short story I wrote some months ago? It’s still going on, so check it out here.
Seamus is an Irish Kiwi, i.e., a New Zealander with Irish heritage, who does just about anything artistic that you can imagine–and does it fabulously. He writes, paints, takes photographs, plays the piano, and also composes.
Recently Seamus posted a collection of his photographs of Ireland set to one of his original piano compositions entitled “The Magic of Ireland.”
I truly don’t have the words to describe how beautiful, moving, and simply gorgeous “The Magic of Ireland” is. I tried to embed the video here but it’s not working without messing up my columns even when I adjust the size (I always have this problem with YouTube–it’s not you Seamus!), so you’ll have to head to Shameless Words to see it.
Go! Enjoy! And read lots of his fabulous short stories too!
And tell Seamus I sent you!
* Debbie Egizio of Debbie Egizio’s Creatively Inspired Blog *
I found Debbie’s site through my good blogging buddy somepinkflowers who never, ever steers me wrong. Debbie is an artist, designer and owner of The Beat of My Art shop in Naperville, Illinois and she always has such wonderful creations on her site like these Artist Trading Card heartfelt messages:
Visiting Debbie is the virtual equivalent of brewing a cup of Earl Grey and curling up by the fireplace with the doggies. Indeed, sometimes I do these things *and* visit Debbie. So wonderful!
In a twist of blogging fate, Debbie has just awarded me with a “You Make My Day” award. Thanks Debbie! I think it goes without saying that you make mine as well.
I hope you’ll visit Seamus and Debbie and enjoy your time with them as much as I do–and I’d love if you would choose some bloggers to feature on your blog as well–why not start a 1st of the Month Featured Bloggers at your place? (No penalties if you post on say, the 2nd or 3rd or 14th this time around!)
We all only have so much Internet time, so it’s great to get recommendations from bloggers we read regularly as well.
Or, in other words, share the blog love peeps!
Buon weekend!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
