Occasionally I divert my attention from the always entertaining, and often exasperating, world of politics and other such things, just to write about something I'm doing. We can't always be focused on the craziness of the world around us, lest we go a little crazy ourselves. So I'm about to tell you about my newest avocation. I have been determined to keeping adding to my repertoire of activities for both the body and the mind in order to stave off the inevitable effects of aging. The way to stay young and vital (at least to the extent we can) is to be active. Activity for me is not only about the movement of our physical selves- but also about learning more and exercising the brain a bit too. Towards that end I have recently taken up Archery- its good for both body and mind.
More accurately, I should say I have returned to archery. But this time I'm serious. I have always been enamoured by archery. I like the feel of the bow in my hand, pulling back against the bow as it bends and arches-and I like the idea of sending the arrow into flight. You amateur psychologists pay special attention here: I have always been drawn to stories and movies about ancient warriors. I'm still a sucker for a good "swords and sandals" tale of brave warriors using the classic weapons of old to vanquish tyrants and brigands. There's just something classy and elegant about the ancient warriors and the weapons of the times-particularly the line of a bow as it curves to hurl an arrow. Hercules, Achilles and the rest always captured my imagination. When I was a kid my folks got me a bow and a few arrows. I remember it to this day. It wasn't a little kid's bow- it was the real thing. It was a one-piece wooden recurve bow- black lacquer and a leather wrapped grip. Fortunately, I had plenty of space to shoot it, sending long arching shots across the fields surrounding our house. I was given a lot of freedom (i.e. no supervision) provided I avoided shots in the direction of the livestock and my sister. Eventually, I grew up and left the bow behind- relieving a lot of anxiety around the house.
My next encounter with the art of archery came in college. Get this- I was a junior at Portland State University and I didn't have enough P.E credits. Back then everyone was required to take four P.E. classes to graduate, regardless of age or class status. I ended up taking archery as one of those classes. Most of us were in there just to get an easy P.E. class out of the way, but the instructor was taking this seriously. The University had an indoor range set up in an abandoned area of a gym. At least we learned how to handle the bow properly and name all the parts of a bow. It was a class after all. (By the way are four parts- five if you count both ends of the bow)We were also very strict about archery etiquette and safety measures to ensure nobody ended up going to their next class with an arrow stuck in them. But I admit it was fun and I did gain a better appreciation for the craft of shooting an arrow properly, with a reasonable expectation about where it would end up. Who says a college education isn't valuable?
Out of the blue last fall I decided to revisit my old fascination with Archery. I spent a little time on the Internet researching the market and the equipment out there now. I knew I didn't want to mess around with compound bows (you know, the bows that are about three feet long with wheels and pulleys). They look more like a contraption than a bow. I wanted a traditional bow. The only problem was that most sporting goods dealers just carry the contraptions- because that's what all the hunters want. They have more power in a smaller package- but they aren't my thing. And they're ugly!! After a lot of calling around I found a great shop that had a good selection of traditional bows. But more importantly the owner of the shop absolutely loves traditional bows and took the time to set me up with the right equipment- sensing he had another convert to traditional archery. I could tell he loved everything about archery because he spoke of it with reverence-and about the classic timelessness of it. As technologically advanced as these new bows are, when he finished explaining all this to me he winked and said, "in the end, it's just sticks and strings".
I settled on a beautiful set of "sticks and strings" in the form of a Hoyt Excel Recurve. This is quite an instrument. It's a take-down bow, meaning the limbs of the bow detach from the center piece, called the riser. The riser is expertly crafted steel, molded perfectly to fit the hand on the bow arm, super strong, beautifully tooled attachments for the bow limbs, and a raised arrow rest. The limbs are made of the finest woods with overlaid fiberglass. Wooden arrows are still available- but most archers use carbon arrows because of their light weight and consistent performance. I'm telling you about the equipment to let you know things have changed since the days I got that first bow. Modern traditional bows are a masterpiece of engineering, transforming what still essentially the original ancient form. A person living eight thousand years ago could trade places with a person of today, and they would both be able to use the others' bow proficiently. I think that's kind of cool.
Thanks for indulging me, as I went on a bit about my new fascination with archery. It's all about finding new ways to stay active, and find new challenges. When my wife and I were raising kids we were always on the run to their activities and sports events. Those activities were the things that kept us active and engaged- and they were fun. I see my kids doing that now with our grandchildren. But as I've thought about this phase of my life, I realize the importance of finding new ways to engage mind and body to enjoy all the life I have left. If life is a journey- I'm not going to sit on the side of the road as I get older, believing the journey is over. I'm determined to stay on the road and keep learning new things along the way. We all have things we do for enjoyment, recreation and stimulation of the mind and body. I just thought I'd tell you about my newest adventure in hopes you've found something to grab your imagination too-whatever it may be.
Thanks for looking in.
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