Many folks will have two immediate thoughts on hearing that Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn are an item. The first is that his preferred type is definitely fair skinned and blonde, and will come with a fit body. The second is “Doesn’t she know he will cheat on her, too?” While Tiger’s past extra marital affairs were numerous and led to the demise of his marriage, it doesn’t guarantee he will make the same mistakes again if he decides to remarry. After all, he did drop out of golf for some time and sought counseling- during which time he had a fall from grace that he must still be smarting from.
So what will have changed? It’s possible that Tiger’s first marriage failed because he was young, rather inexperienced at relationships and life in general- and that his rapid rise to fame put him in situations and around people he was ill-equipped to deal with. When folks marry very young, they almost have to get lucky to make a match that will last through all the changes that a long relationship brings. Add this to increased time apart, a lot of attention from an adoring public, and sudden wealth- and any marriage would be tested.
What is different here is that Tiger has this very bad experience behind him, which should have taught him a few important life lessons. He has had to work his way back and prove himself to people as he struggled to get his game back on and stay strong and focused throughout the scandal and its aftermath. He has had to rebuild trust with many people and accept that some relationships will never be the same. He has learned who his real friends are and are not- and how many of those women he risked his marriage and career for were quick to throw him under the bus. This time he may have identified and will probably be looking for something in a relationship that was missing the first time- because our past relationships teach us about what we value and why we are attracted to who we are and if the attraction is a positive or negative one for us.
One obvious difference here is that Lindsey is an accomplished athlete herself. She understands the demands, has to deal with all the fame and attention, and has a passion that she has worked hard to excel at, and that has helped shape her identity and given her a framework for her life. This is what she and Tiger share and it is significant. Apparently they have also been friends for some time and that gives them a great foundation for an intimate relationship.
In this season of redemption why don’t we give Tiger the benefit of the doubt and withhold judgment about his new relationship. If things work out, it wouldn’t be the first time that someone was able to make a success of their relationships post divorce. Lindsey may be just what he needs to be the best man he can be.
