Well, these are fair questions. My career is going pretty good and I'm in a decent financial position, when compared to much of what the middle class is going through all over the country, so I am thankful for that. I'm not wealthy by any stretch. My wife and I drive paid off vehicles that are 11 and 12 years old, but we'll still be paying on a house for the next 15 years. My oldest son joined the army and is leaving in about 6 weeks for boot camp, so Uncle Sam will take over caring for him, which frees up some money. I'm not mechanically inclined at all, or have any type of constructive skills to pursue side businesses. My only skills are what my dad passed on to me, which is hunting, fishing, and golf.
As far as this thread goes, with all it's many great points that everyone has made, I think the most important thing that has been pointed out, that I have sort of lost sight of in pursuit of getting better at golf, is the human relationships that are formed and developed through golf. Although I have always known this, sometimes we just need reminding, and you guys have reminded me, that when it's all said and done, scores, shots, trophies, tournament winnings, etc... will all be forgotten, but the relationships are what is important and the only thing that is lasting. This thread has jolted me into looking back at the friendships I have made through golf and the enjoyable times, conversations, and jokes I have shared with people on the course.
One other comment that gave me a "V8" moment was the fellow who reminded me that nobody really cares how I perform on the course, whether I'm an amateur that can occasionally shoot in the upper 60's, or regularly shoots in the upper 90's. Outside of my dad, who always seems to take an interest in my game, there really is nobody that cares. That's not to say that people haven't taken notice of the fact that I can hit a long ball, so I have been invited to play in a lot of scrambles, but at the end of the day, I was just a pawn for the team, and nobody cares that a third of my drives in the scrambles were never found again.
So I guess I have decided to stay the course, no pun intended, and keep at my golf game, with a new perspective on what is really important, and take some of the pressure off myself to always do well. I'm a public course player by the way in northeast Wisconsin. Thanks again everyone.