Just a short post for Thursday. I played golf first thing this morning and didn’t have time to write earlier in the day.

I know what you’re thinking: “How can this guy sit there at his computer and admit to playing golf instead of working.”

This may sound farfetched, but I am not blowing smoke when I say that playing golf really is “working” in my world. I don’t believe I produce my best – in terms of creativity and original thinking – when I fail to make the effort to pursue balance in the rest of my life. And balance – for me – necessarily involves play.

I guess the lines easily get a little blurred, because I do tend to let things slosh around in my mind while I’m drinking in the beauty of a North Carolina golf course on an amazing fall day. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t think about billing a client for “golf time” any more than I’d turn in an invoice for sleeping. But both are necessary components of a balanced mind well-equipped for creative writing.

Fact is, if you hire me for a writing project you’re going to want the best Derek Maul possible for the price. A little golf on a beautiful fall day in the Piedmont would actually be a worthwhile investment. Hmmm… maybe those 18 holes really should be a business expense after all?

Simply grateful for all this good life brings me – DEREK