A recent story regarding South Africa’s Sunshine Tour captured my attention.
Wallie Coetsee is a journeyman pro golfer. Having entered the paid ranks way back in 1992, Coetsee has ploughed his trade in the nether regions of the sport, carving out a sustainable career over the course of the past two decades. With only a couple of victories to his credit, the forty-three year-old Coetsee was leading the recent Joburg Open up until the penultimate day, creating a stir amongst the media over the sudden appearance of this dark horse on the local professional circuit.
Journeyman professionals are commonplace in most sports. Whether mainstream (golf, tennis, rugby etc) or fringe (triathlon, cycling, surfing et al), these guys and girls are the backbone of the paid ranks, albeit away from the spotlight. Using professional cycling as an example, there are many domestic-based riders in France, Italy and Belgium whose earning power and quality of life in the lower division far exceeds that of pursuing a career at World Tour level. A bigger fish in a smaller pond has its benefits, depending upon personal career aspirations of course. Life is all about choices, but I digress.
Back to Coetsee and his seemingly sudden rise into the limelight: now in his early forties, the man from Tzaneen certainly epitomizes the term longevity. You don’t play pro golf for twenty-three years without a certain resilience and love of the game. More importantly however has been Coetsee’s relocation to the Eastern Cape town Jeffrey’s Bay, famous for its surf break and laid-back beach culture. On the urging of his wife, Coetsee attributes his revitalization to a marked change in lifestyle. Early morning walks on the beach lead into quiet practice at the local golf course; relaxed afternoons in the company of his wife and kids extend into early bedtimes. A simple, tranquil existence is central to a lifestyle that many dream of, yet never achieve.
I’ve long aspired to a life free of “nine-to-five”. While I’m certainly not averse to the realities of day-to-day living, I must admit to having being envious of those who were/are “living the dream”. Not necessarily those individuals of unlimited means who can play all day (I’m sure we all know a few), but rather the humble folk who have lived full lives, often centred around self-made businesses, extensive travel and – above all – a simple, happy lifestyle.
I know of at least two examples of friends who have left the city environs for more a more rural existence. Both have young families, which was a major influence in their decision for the slower life. Both have maintained their careers, albeit at the expense of higher paying positions in metropolitan Cape Town. Quality of life is in abundance for these folks, whose young kids roam free in a simple environment. The one guy has even built a skateboard half-pipe in his front garden, which is now the hub of his local neighbourhood. When I asked him about his reasoning for moving away from the city, his reply was for “a lifestyle change. It's done nothing for my medical practice – the market is in 'Town but there is more to life, china.”
And he is so right.
The past year or so has seen me plotting how to get the best of both worlds, that is earning a fairly decent living whilst stepping back from the “working-treadmill” and doing other things. There had to be some compromise and as 2014 drew to a close, I decided to approach my employer about the possibility of reduced working hours.
As they say, it is all about timing and I set forth my proposal in early January, thinking it was a long shot, but what the hell. After all, you have to try. A positive answer followed shortly after, based on a pro-rata salary of course. That doesn't matter though; I've been consciously (and perhaps sub-consciously) preparing for this over the course of several years. Having an extra day away from the office has opened up the doors of freedom, be it extra sideline work opportunities or just pottering around writing, gardening or whatever. It really is a dream come true.
Life is too short and reading about Wallie Coetsee's lifestyle adjustment has certainly provided further self-validation of my stepping back a notch.
Or is it a step forward?
Depends what one wants in life, I suppose.
After reading Gordo Byrn's recent post, that think that I might be on the right track.
It really is all about choices.
