MISSING THE TARGET
Just before breakfast this morning, I strung my bow and fired 25 arrows the length of the back garden.
None of them wound up in the bullseye and two missed the target altogether… but that’s not why I chose that headline. No, I chose it because the arrows I launched were the first ones I’ve shot in more than a year.
Taking that much time off wasn’t part of the plan when I decided to create the 30-metre range nine years ago. The idea then was to use it as often as possible to help focus my mind and practice relaxed concentration, abilities that don’t seem to develop without a bit of effort. But to tell you the truth, I thought making that effort was going to be simple since I enjoy shooting arrows.
What I don’t enjoy is driving, especially on busy roads, and that’s what I had to do for half an hour to get to the archery club before I cleared the blackberry thorns, small trees and other brush from the long-neglected grounds. So, creating a range at my home seemed like the perfect way to release arrows… and stress… without the stress of driving.
The funny thing is, when the UK locked down 12 months ago, I thought I’d be outside shooting arrows every day, but that didn’t happen. Instead, I found other outdoor projects such as replacing the front drive and expanding, and tending to, my vegetable garden to occupy my free time.
I think the reason that happened was because when my neighbours stopped going to work, they got stuck into home improvement jobs as well, so there were far more people and man-made noises outside… and I guess I didn’t like it. I suppose I thought the point of my archery was to help me find peace of mind in a self-made suburban sanctuary.
Now that I think about it, though, maybe that wasn’t the target I should have been aiming at. Maybe I missed the point of self-improvement when I tried to eliminate the need to do anything I found stressful from my chosen discipline.
I mean, peace and quiet are great, but I have always been pretty good at functioning the way I would like to when I have those things. What I’m not very good at is being able to focus and stay relaxed in noisy, distracting settings. You know, like everyday life.
So, maybe what I should be doing is driving more often, instead of less, so I can watch my mind and practice staying calm and resisting the impulse to make rude hand signals when an aggressive driver does something I don’t like. That really would take effort.
The thing is, it wouldn’t be much fun, so maybe I’ll just work on that one when I have to be in the car. In the meantime, I think I’ll get back into the archery and try to connect with the world again, even when that world is full of unnatural sounds.
As luck would have it, a petrol-powered lawn-mower has just fired-up next door. That’s great.
Time for me to get started.