The satisfying “thwack” of my new pursuit

Living in the country is something I haven’t done since about 1975, so it’s taking some getting used to. It’s an odd feeling when an entire day goes by without seeing another human being (other than my family.) That happens often, when I don’t have any errands to run in town. I’m not complaining; it just feels odd.

One aspect of being surrounded by woods has allowed me to take up a new hobby: archery. Just behind our garage is a small clearing, and on the end of it there’s a wooden wall about fifteen feet long and eight feet high. Our real estate agent surmised it was an shooting range. Turns out, the previous owner told me one of his teenage sons built it to kick soccer balls and keep them from going into the woods. But the idea was planted in my mind for it t to keep arrows from flying into the thicket of trees and poison ivy.

I mentioned I’d like to try archery, so for Father’s Day my wife and son bought me a beautiful bow and six carbon arrows. Now whenever I want to take a break from staring at the computer screen, I stroll out to the archery range and shoot until my fingers are numb and my shoulders ache. The sound of the arrows striking the target and the wooden wall is quite gratifying. The feeling of pulling the bowstring and letting the arrow fly seems not-quite-21st Century. It’s timeless.

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