Karma comes back to you in the end

link Kitsana Dounglomchan

Guest columnist

My friend Brandon and I are on shift work.

Like so many, we earn our pay on weekends and holidays at all times of day.

I’m not complaining about this — it’s what I signed up for.

But your life can fall into a rut, if you aren’t careful. I have to get off my butt to combat this rut.

We’re doing this by taking one trip per month outside of Clovis.

On a recent Thursday my wife, Brandon, and I drove to Mackenzie Park in Lubbock. We took this trip to partake in our new hobby — disc golf.

It’s a break from my tortured relationship with traditional golf.

For over a decade I purchased expensive clubs, took lessons, and paid greens fees. I still sucked.

Disc golf, on the other hand, combines the social aspect of golf in a more relaxed atmosphere. It’s also cheap. I bought a three-disc set for $25 and there are no fees at any of the courses in Clovis, Portales, or Lubbock.

After getting lost and having a pointless argument with our GPS, we arrived at our destination. The mammoth 21-basket course at Mackenzie Park is adorned with trees, a lake, and overflowing trash cans.

Unfortunately, there were no signs directing us around the maze of the 21 baskets, and we were soon lost yet again.

Then we met a man in his mid-20s named Laney.

He wore no shirt, a backwards Texas Tech baseball cap, and carried a shoulder-slung bag with 30 discs in it.

They weren’t Frisbees, he said.

After graduating with a degree in engineering, he swore off the 9-to-5 life so he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

I was jealous.

Laney offered to play the round with us. I thought he might ask for money, but it turned out he was simply being a good Samaritan.

Our meager throws didn’t measure up to Laney’s. He had the form of a discus thrower in the Olympics, and I felt like I was back on the regular golf course.

As we continued to throw our discs into baskets, we met a man lounging on a bench who knew Laney. He was a hobo and spent his days loitering around Lubbock.

That morning, Laney gave the hobo a 12 pack of Natural Light so he’d dive into the lake and fish out submerged discs. Laney would then sell the discs on eBay at a price that covered his initial investment.

The barter system is alive and well.

Afternoon turned to evening, and before we finished our round and capped our day trip by eating Chicago-style pizza from a brewhouse in Lubbock, I asked Laney, “Why did you help us today?”

“I believe in karma,” he said. “It all comes back to you in the end, dude.”

We shook hands and parted ways. I had places to be. There was a draft beer with my name on it.

Kitsana Dounglomchan, an 11-year Air Force veteran, writes about his life and times for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

dounglomchan3

@yahoo.com