As about admiration for people who manage to step outside their comfort zone and for whatever reason do something that they had never dreamed they could or would.
Recently I spent a day at a local firearms training facility with 9 other "seniors" and an instructor who actually prefers seniors - how nice was that! He thinks that when an older person signs up for something (no matter what it is) they have clear objectives in mind and a determination to succeed that sometimes in younger groups gets lost in the midst of joking with friends or trying to "one up" strangers.
I wouldn't use names even if I could remember them. The class was pretty evenly split between males and females and we were all over 60 years of age. There were two couples: one repeating the class as a refresher and one set of first timers. There was a gentleman who just moved from Massachusetts and although a lifelong hunter, he was unfamiliar with handguns and the NH laws relating to them. One man got the class as a Christmas gift from his wife and one other was obviously recovering from a stroke. Although he spoke haltingly he probably did better than a lot of us because he worked harder.
The women were an eclectic mix: two were there with their husbands - one the repeat and the other a first timer. The other two ladies were the ones who really impressed me. Neither had ever fired a gun and one had never even touched one. They took their courage in both hands and signed up to come to the class alone - not knowing what it would be like or if the other students would accept them. The first was taking the class because her husband is disabled and they worry about his reaction time in an emergency (although he is familiar w/firearms) so she as taking it upon herself to be the first responder in her household!
The second had gotten a handgun for Christmas and all she could tell you about it was the color! Fortunately she had the sense to know that in her inexperienced hands that gift could turn into a nightmare unless she got some training.
We had half a day of safe handling basics and firearm laws - complete with unloaded firearms and dummy bullets. After lunch we went to the range for live firing experience.
Five of us worked at a time while the rest observed and then we would switch. (gives your hands a rest!)
Were we all "dead eye dicks" by the end of the afternoon? Not in the least. Did we all improve incredibly? You bet! Was it hard and fun? Ayuh!
At the end we all congratulated each other (the nice thing about this class was we all pulled together to help each other) and told the instructor what a great job he did.
The most telling comment I heard came from the lady who had never previously fired or touched a weapon. She said "I never realized how dangerous a gun could be". How could she not? Who knows - but now she does know and now she also knows how to handle one safely and protect herself and her family if the occasion arises.
This is one time I'm not going to tell you to "git er done" cause that's purely personal choice - but the next time anything seems too far outside your comfort zone? Maybe then you'll take a run at it and amaze yourself with your success!
No comments:
Post a Comment