Life without pressure or deadlines bores me. I adopted this mentality from my husband, Carlos.Carlos set a blistering pace for our family. Carlos is on. Always. He crams his schedule full, down to the minute. Our children learned to follow his lead. So did I. Whether in business, raising a family or pursuing sports, Carlos and I went go, go, go, full throttle, no time to waste. No time for a breather.
Even at 77-years old, I’m still not ready for a breather. As I prepare for my third year competing in sporting clays at the World Senior Games next fall, I am approaching this at full speed, training and shooting in regional matches to hone my skills in a discipline I have not mastered. I do not know how many more years I will be healthy enough to train or travel to competitions. Now, more than ever, not a moment can be wasted. I am up against the clock.
Good thing I welcome pressure. Nothing motivates me more than having a goal in front of me.
When I retired from action pistol shooting after the 2018 Bianchi Cup, I intended to be done with competitive shooting. I did not make the decision lightly. I thought hard and deep on it, but I am the kind of person who, when I make the decision to walk away, then it is decided. I don’t turn back.
Not usually, anyway.
That 2018 Bianchi Cup was it for me, as far as being in the competitive arena. Or, so I thought.
As my husband of 55 years, Carlos is my closest confidant, and he got in my ear. He reminded me that I had spent more than 20 years honing my shooting skills and reaching a championship level in my sport. He thought it would be wasteful to throw all of that away, like tossing good food in the trash.
Continue reading this post about enjoying the grind, originally published at Women’s Outdoor News.
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