Can I get a do-over?

I found my day. 

There it was on my screen. I refreshed the website to make sure I was reading it correctly. I looked again. Yup, I read it right the first time, National Mulligan Day is observed this upcoming Monday (October 17).

Who thinks of these days? In any event, a mulligan in golf happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a shot. The day offers an opportunity for giving yourself a second chance or, as some people call it, a “do-over.” Many golf courses will hold a National Mulligan Day celebration where golfers can play again for free at a later date.

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Shooting for perfection

Oh, I’m not a golfer, far from it, but it’s the perfect day for me. Back in high school, I would’ve used the day to re-take that Math test that I butchered or to complete and hand-in that homework that I forgot about the minute I walked out of class. As an adult, I can think of many times throughout my life when I’ve said something I shouldn’t have said or forgotten to do something I should have done around the house. I’m sure my wife could give me a long list of my possible do-overs.

Here’s a few other times:

  • The meeting in front of several senior leaders last week, where I stuttered and stumbled and generally looked like a deer caught in the headlights, as I explained the progress my team was making on a key corporate-wide initiative.
  • Three weeks ago, when I was driving with my wife and got upset about missing our turnoff and was brusque with her when she asked a question.
  • When I was impatient and short with my kids when they were growing up, when they just needed encouragement and someone to listen to them.
  • When I was 15-years-old and narrowly missed hitting a ninth inning home run that would have won my Babe Ruth Baseball team our game against one of our key rivals. (Hey, things like that stick with a kid.)

Oh, I definitely could use a mulligan or two. 

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“Do not pass Go, do not collect $200” 

I’ve written in the past that I try to live my life without regrets, but hey, a mulligan is still a mulligan. Who wouldn’t want their very own version of a Monopoly “Get Out of Jail Free Card” or a perfectly timed Wild Card from Uno.

We can all think of something, that at one point in time, we would have done better or differently. My advice: Celebrate the day by taking a do-over or by being considerate and giving a mulligan to someone else. Some days we all need one.

What’s on your mulligan list? 

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25 thoughts on “Can I get a do-over?”

  2. Love this! Mulligans for everyone! If I started a list of do-over wishes I fear it would be endless…then I’d wish for a Mulligan yet again so I could go back and never start my list! Fun post — so relatable! I’ll go mark my calendar now. 😉😉😉

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    1. Sounds like me Victoria. Now I’m not a golfer (unless mini golf counts) . . . but I think there’s a general limit of mulligans that golfers will take on the course. I think the idea being you don’t want to upset your friends by asking for too many mulligans. In real life, I think we need to kill off that rule and allow an unlimited number. I know I could use them. We really do need our very own Genie in a Bottle offering us unlimited wishes!!!! Happy Friday.

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  3. I’ve learned something new today, Brian – I’ve never heard of Mulligan Day. It’s not something we have in the UK. I really like the idea of putting right some wrongdoings on my part, such as being more patient with my children when they were young. It would be great to have the opportunity to go back and change these things. However, from a personal point of view, I’m in the process of making conversations with my two adult children, allowing them to ask questions and for me to apologise for my failings. It’s not easy to do, but it looks like I’ll have a Mulligan few weeks instead of a Mulligan Day. Thanks for giving me the idea.

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    1. In truth, it’s not a “real” thing here in the U.S. It’s not a true holiday that everyone knows about, I had never heard of the day until I looked it up on one of those calendar sites that lists various official and unofficial US and International holidays and special days (such as Boss’ Day and Teacher Appreciation Week). However, I like it. God knows, I could use a do-over day. Now a mulligan in golf, I have heard of. Love the conversations that you’re having with your grown children. It’s hard, but I find those types of conversations to be helpful, if nothing else, for my kids to see a complete view. It doesn’t make my errors better, but at least it makes it a conversation where we can talk like adults. I’m not Jewish, but I think Yom Kippur touches on some of that, the idea of atoning for our sins and trying to make things right with those that we love. Yes, I like the idea of a Mulligan Week!

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      1. Ah, silly me for thinking it was an actual holiday. As you’ve said, I still think it’s an excellent idea. It would be wonderful to have another crack at things we, perhaps, feel we could have done better at. I spoke to my daughter yesterday, and she said she would be more than happy to get together again to talk about important parts of our lives, which we feel could have gone better.

        You are right about Yom Kippur being a time to make amends. My birth family were Jewish, although I don’t really have any faith anymore. If I had to choose a belief, I feel it would be Buddhism. I like that they try to do no harm, which I try to practice every day anyway and that they believe in karma. There’s also the thought that we are reincarnated, although depending on how ‘good’ we’ve been in our previous life affects who or what we come back as. It’s an interesting concept.

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      2. I like the idea of do overs too. We all could use a few. Glad things went well with your daughter. I’m writing about this at some point: one of my favorite classes years ago was a religious studies class. I remember liking the do no harm practice. If my reincarnation destination depends on my life now, I could be in trouble!!! Talk about taking a step back!!!!

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  4. I recently went to a concert. I wish I’d bought tickets for Saturday instead of Friday because it turns out Bruce Springsteen made a guest appearance at the Saturday show.

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    1. Oh my goodness, bad luck! I’ve always heard that Bruce is great in concert too . . . even one like that where he makes a guest appearance. Sorry about that. Sounds like that definitely qualifies. In my new fantasy world, we’ll all be given do-over buttons (ala Staples’ That Was Easy Buttons, remember them?) and we’ll simply click on the button and get to do whatever we wanted over. Voila Saturday concert instead of Friday!

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  5. I think most fathers can identify with your third bullet — being a little harsh with the kids. Our unique biochemistry certainly doesn’t help with this. I now call it getting caught up in the behaviour, but missing the feeling. I asked my wife years ago to give me guidance of what it meant to really love her. How I treated the kids was at the top of her list. Do-overs are seldom available, but heartfelt, repentant talks sure are.

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    1. Wow, lots of wisdom in your comments Robert. Yea, I’ve often asked my wife for help in helping “think before I talk.” God bless her. Otherwise, I fear I would be worse than I am. Especially love your last sentence. Now that my kids are grown, the talks and conversations have been interesting. I’ve been able to gave more of those repentant talks and it’s been interesting seeing where our relationship has gone. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. I mentioned this to my wife, Brian and she asked if they do a National Mulligan Year. The only one that comes immediately to mind was not taking the offer of a ticket to see the Sex Pistols when I was in my teens. I never got to see them live and still regret that moment. Have a good weekend. I will be thinking about mulligans for most of mine.

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    1. I like where your wife and you are headed. I can definitely think of a few years I’d put on that mulligan list. And wow, what a concert to miss. They would’ve been a great group to see in person. The closest I can compare to the Sex Pistols is . . . when I was teenager, a friend drove to Philadelphia for the Live Aid Concert. Now in my defense, when he asked, I really wasn’t sure what Live Aid was going to be; he didn’t have any tickets at the time; his car was close to falling apart, we were three hours away, and I didn’t think he would make it there; and I had no money. If I had known how big it was going to be . . . I would’ve gone. Yes, I need a mulligan! Ha, ha.

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  7. Love this post – and the whole idea of National Mulligan Day. I want a mulligan for the time I shut my dog’s tail in the car door not realizing he hadn’t gotten all the way out yet…

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  10. I had quit my Civil Service job and hired on with a contractor, serving the same organization I left. My company had a kick-off meeting with another department in the same civil service organization I had left. There were people there from other departments I had worked with. When several people in the civil service group objected, I failed to step up to point out I had done similar special projects with people I had worked with in the civil service. We spent over a year on a six-figure contract going nowhere because I failed to speak up, although being the most knowledgeable person in the meeting on the proposal being considered.

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    1. Oh my goodness, it sounds like that was a challenging situation, lots of potential pitfalls. When I think of the things I would like to do-over, work inevitably seems to lead the list. I can sympathize with you. I suspect you’re being too harsh on yourself too. My experience tells me that when a project gets stalled and goes nowhere for six months . . . it’s thanks to many different reasons. Hopefully things have since worked themselves out. Thanks for reading!

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