Mental Health Awareness
Although the PGAT season is moving along, this week is not about golf. It’s about honoring the life of Grayson Murray who we tragically lost last weekend to suicide.
The golf community has suffered a major loss this past weekend. PGA Tour member Grayson Murray passed away last Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding Grayson’s death are even more tragic. Grayson unfortunately took his own life leaving behind his fiance and parents. This loss of life sheds light on the fact that there is an epidemic going on, a mental health crisis that is crippling so many families and lives. Men are so reluctant and ashamed to talk about their feelings and what is going on in their lives. This reluctance has resulted in too much loss of life. Men, especially male athletes need to know that it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to struggle and feel like shit, it’s okay to not want to get out of bed some days. What’s not okay is bottling it up, letting it fester and ultimately letting the demons win. Grayson had been hurting for a long time and he fought till the very end. In the midst of this tragedy we, as human beings, need to do better. We need to take care of one another, we need to check in on our people and make sure they are okay. Nobody is to blame for Grayson’s passing, but looking forward it’s so important that we fix the stigma, change the mold, and keep good people here.
On a personal level, this hits close to home. Golf has always been my escape and release from the world. Don’t get me wrong, professional golf takes a lot more than it gives, but it has always been my escape from the world. Golf has brought me peace and it has saved me from myself in more ways than I can count. This whole situation just really hits a nerve with me and in the end, it’s really challenging to even begin to describe it. The only thing I can say is that I hope Grayson has found his peace wherever he is.
The biggest lessons we can learn from this is perspective and just how fragile life can be. It really makes you think how insignificant certain things are. It makes you wonder what actually matters in life. For me, I’ve realized that my happiness, my friends, and my family are the most important things in my life. It’s unfortunate that it takes situations like this to find perspective but if we can learn something from this tragedy and move forward positively then his life will carry so much meaning for generations. It’s moments like this we realize, truly how special life is. The last thing I will say on this is hug your loved ones, and let them know you love them because you just never know when it’ll be the last time you can say that.