Tomorrow or No Tomorrow: Here Comes Tiger!

Tomorrow or No Tomorrow: Here Comes Tiger!


“Even though the world should see the end tomorrow, I will plant an apple tree.”

--Benedict de Spinoza, Netherlands

June 15, 2008: On a beautiful Sunday in the late afternoon, Tiger Woods holds his putter 12 feet away for birdie from the 72nd hole. Anticipation intensifies his grip. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I clutch the edge of my blanket. If the ball goes in, tomorrow, Monday, Tiger will play an 18-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate. Rocco is in the scoring room waiting and watching Tiger’s 18th hole with his arms folded. If it does not go in, Rocco Mediate will be the champion of the US Open 2008.

Tomorrow! Or No Tomorrow!

In his determined and focused expression, I can hear Tiger assuring himself: “I can do it!” “I have to do it!” “I have done it before!” All he needs to do is make a god stroke and hope that gravity takes over.

I scream from my bed: “Tomorrow!” “Tomorrow!” “Playoff… Playoff… Playoff…”

Tiger hits the ball and I, with the blanket’s edge serving as my golf club, imitate by striking the air.

Tiger hits it firmly and keeps his head down. Crouching like a Tiger, I wrap my head in my blanket and peer up at the screen from underneath my blanket’s fold.

The ball is moving …

The ball is moving…

The ball is moving … bumping… and swirls into the back corner of the cup without an inch to spare.

Tiger’s putt from 12 feet away … only barely gets i—n, I—n. I—n!

I leap from my bed and almost hit the ceiling. As I land, my blanket-entangled foot catapults me to the floor. I cradle my head in my arms to protect my recently-operated brain from my nearby dresser, as I roll dangerously toward it. I am recuperating from my fourth brain surgery following my recent brain aneurism rupture. Thank god, I did not hit my head against anything, I thought. Sitting on the floor, I cry: “I knew it. I knew it, he’d make it.” Tiger has done it again.

This pivotal shot brought Tiger into tomorrow.

I sit on the floor in tears, in joy, and in excitement.

In my bedroom on the floor, I go crazy with cheers. The crowd has gone wild. There’s nothing like a “Tiger roar”.

Tiger is going crazy – head thrown back with his mouth gaping, he pumps his fists in the air, punching the air with triumph. Underneath the pandemonium, I can tell he’s roaring, too.

As Steve, Tiger’s caddy, runs up to Tiger, their hands meet in the air. That Hi Five between them sealed my hope that, with tiger’s determination and focus, I could heal my body totally.

This was my healing moment. Tiger was my healer in this moment. Just as Tiger believed that his determination and focus would bring him tomorrow for the playoffs, with determination and focus I should be able to sit or stand for more than one hour, which, at that time following my surgeries, I could not yet do.

There is nothing like seeing Tiger roar in victory.

To me, Tiger’s roar represents healing. There’s a reason why Tiger is Tiger …. Tiger is a healer of my illness.

I am grateful for the opportunity to witness greatness.

Since this pivotal shot brought Tiger’s tomorrow, I want Tiger to have many more tomorrows so that, like me, many people will have hope for healing their bodies and minds!

Even though I lost my voice for a week from cheering so loud, I knew this was my healing moment.

I would like to say to him:

Tiger, I feel your pain and suffering. You were on the top, and now have fallen to the bottom because you have misused your power. I can see that you use your pain and suffering as an opportunity to evaluate who you are and what you really want. Like peeling an onion, calming your mind reveals your more “true self”. This will help you to evaluate who you are, and then you will know what you need to do. The public is negative and criticizing you because of your “transgression”. I hope you understand the public is looking you as ‘Ideal Real Man’ because our world does not teach how ‘to be a real man’ and because our world does not know who is to be followed. I do not know how ‘to be a real man’ and you do not know how ‘to be a real man’. Our world does not know how ‘to be a real man’. Even Adam, the first man, could not be real man because he could not take responsibilities for his actions and was in denial with guilt.

Tiger, you will be the precursor of how ‘to be a real man’. The public will give you more credit if you grow and forge into excellence by getting up with your scar of shame. I know, with your determination and focus, that you can do that.

As a daughter of sharing food with love, a granddaughter of peace warrior’s wisdom from the Wars, and a great-granddaughter of a traditional Korean doctor who saved thousands of farmer’s life in my village of Korea, I am offering “Apple & Cabbage Salad with triple hot sauce” to you, Tiger, and readers to heal spiritually. Apple & Cabbage Salad contains five different tastes: salty from salted vegetables that kill harmful germs and produce beneficial germs, pungent from garlic, hot from red chili peppers, sour from apple cider vinegar, and sweet and crunchy from apple, honey, and nuts.

Apple & Cabbage Salad is spicy, very very hot, pungent, and chewy, but the sweetness of apple will overpower the other flavors in the end. Spiritually, this will give you enough nutrition to get up and start a new life. Extreme spiciness will help you burn and cleanse all the mistakes you have made and all the negativities you’ve encountered.

Tiger, since you are my healer and you were born to heal others, I want to see you more on the green field! I hope to see you in a red T-shirt and black pants, walking to the 18th hole with Steve carrying your golf bag, walking on a late Sunday afternoon to a cheering crowd. I hope to see your son waiting in a red jump suit, and your daughter waiting in a red one-piece dress. I hope to see you all more. I hope to see you more.