A fish out of water never gasped for air as hard as the old man in the ER that night. A valve in his heart had failed, flooding his lungs with fluid and starving him for oxygen. His blood pressure was dangerously low, his heart rate high and his condition critical. Without help he was going to die; he knew it, and he was not ready.

Across the room his wife kept her eyes locked on his and willed him to hang on, her hope tangible as a lifeline. The doctor quietly directed a flurry of activity aimed at saving the old man, remembering that a patient who looks sick needs a doctor who sounds confident. He knew that the wrong medicine given or the right medicine not given could be fatal errors. IVs were started, powerful medicines were pushed into blue veins, a tube was placed in the windpipe to deliver oxygen at high concentration and slowly the old man came back from the abyss.

When Tiger Woods won the Masters last week the doctor watched with wonder. As the last putt rolled in at the 18th hole, he remembered that we all have Tiger Woods moments in our lives, and saving the old man’s life that night had been one of his. Such moments of individual accomplishment surround us every day, and while most will never end up on TV, their significance is not diminished by their anonymity.

Other Tiger Woods moments:

. when a woman gives the one last push that delivers her baby, despite all of her pain and fatigue;

. when an alcoholic or any other addict stays sober another day;

. when you quit smoking;

. when a kid who has been struggling to learn something difficult sticks with it long enough to finally get it;

. when a teacher does not give up on a kid struggling to get it;

. when a parent gets up at 4 a.m. to feed a new baby;

. when you help others make your community a better place to live;

. when you vote;

. when you shut off the TV and read to your child;

. when you adopt someone else’s child as your own;

. when you donate to the United Way, public radio or public television, or any other worthy cause;

. when you donate blood for the first time, and every time;

. when an abused spouse decides never to be abused again;

. when a baby takes its first step;

. the first time a doctor delivers a baby;

. the last time a doctor delivers a baby;

. cancer survivor Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France victory;

. every cancer-free day for a cancer survivor;

. when a family donates the organs of a loved one;

. when you defend someone else’s right to an opinion or lifestyle you disagree with in the name of freedom for all of us;

. when yesterday’s failure is followed by today’s second effort;

. when you finish putting your child through college;

. when you went back for your high school diploma and then got it;

. when a nurse bathes a patient too debilitated to clean himself;

. when you object to a racist or sexist joke;

. when you realize you have met the person you will spend the rest of your life with;

. when that person says yes.

There is a reason that people who would rather watch a barnacle form on a boat than watch golf will watch Tiger Woods play golf. It is not simply because his is a magic that comes around only once or twice in a lifetime, or because even a bluefish can appreciate shots as sweet as Tiger Woods can make from impossible situations. They watch in part because his efforts can inspire us all to do great things in our own lives and on our own scale, even if we cannot make a career out of greatness.

They watch because Tiger Woods reminds us that we all have the ability to reach deep inside ourselves to find what is necessary to do extraordinary things. They watch because life is a Masters tournament played every day, and Tiger Woods, no matter how great, is no better than the rest of us can be.

Erik Steele, D.O. is the administrator for emergency services at Eastern Maine Medical Center and is on the staff for emergency department coverage at six hospitals in the Bangor Daily News coverage area.