From time to time, we all must step back and get away from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives and retreat to place to gather our senses. I know ladies who do this by seeking retail therapy sessions and fellows that seek refuge on the lake to bring their lives back to center.
Many of us wait too long and allow our stress meter to reach extreme levels before seeking out whatever therapy we use.
Personally, I prefer getting to one of two places: the woods or the range. Better yet, getting to a setting that allows both.
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to enjoy the combination of both of my preferred therapies. I had already set plans with some of my friends to meet to work on a local camp that our scouts use on a regular basis. A weekend of hard work clearing fallen trees, removing stumps and other hard manual labor was the main events on the agenda. Our busy day started with rolling out of our tents near first light and getting a quick continental type breakfast before getting down to business.
After a quick discussion of the tasks and goals of the day, we set out to achieve those goals. While some started clearing the old road of fallen trees and limbs, a couple of us set out to the front gate to solve the issues with it. With a bit of persuasion and grinding, the main gate was taken care of in relatively short order. With the gate behind us, we picked up our saws and other tools and headed to meet the others to finish the other tasks.
Once done with the work, it was time to “play”. A few of us had packed our “smaller” firearms to make use of a natural backstop that existed at the camp. Once the firing lane had been established and targets set up we commenced to sighting in a .22 cal. that had just received a new scope and selecting which gun to try out next. With several guns on hand, there were only two guns that were of the same make and model, and those two were not identical due to modifications by each owner. We had a chance to compare guns and figure out which was the next one added to add to our wish list.
No matter what kind of therapy you prefer to take your stress meter down, remember not to let those sessions be too far apart. Lord knows there are more than enough things in our daily lives to raise that stress meter needle between the current inflation, bad economy, B.S. (bureaucratic stupidity) and your standard everyday stressors in life.
Excellent advice Ben. Thanks for sharing your very productive and stress relieving getaway. I,m sure the Scouts are grateful as well.