I think between covid lockdowns, and the increasing pressure from the government on us gun owners, it does create a sense of of the blahs. I am happy to see no one really dismissing depression/mental illness as a real problem. I think most of us encounter bouts of this from time to time. I know I have.
I don't know about anyone else, but I find going to the range therapeutic. It is like going to the golf driving range. I know I suck at golf, I have a terrible swing, I don't have the best gear, but the great thing about shooting is that I am not competing with anyone else, I have nothing to prove to anyone else, I don't need to have the best gear, and ultimately for me it's just personal achievement, and if I can shoot more accurately every time I go, it is very satisfying even if it means my groups improve from 8" to 6" on an outing.
I am about to leave for the range in 20 minutes. Going by myself, and based on the heat, it probably won't be busy. I just find it a little respite from an otherwise stressful life. Raising kids on my own, coming out on the other end of a divorce where I lost a lot, and through no fault of mine (I had no debt, had investments and equity in the house and she had six figures consumer debt, no investments, and yet I had to send her a chunky equalization payment). There were many days in the past number of years, I would be driving at night and it would have been so easy to just drive off the road into a ravine or something. I totally get that feeling of hopelessness.
I also did not grow up in a gun family, was not really in much a pro firearms community and got into the game later in life. What I have really found great is the amount of people who are willing to share their experiences, tips, gear and technique suggestions, etc. Some people may not find they have much to offer, but if you have shot for a long period of time, that experience matters. There are tons of new shooters out there who are looking for mentors. They are not necessarily young - I saw a guy recently at the LGS who was probably 50-60 say to the clerk he just got his PAL and wants some advice. This is great to see. I do believe passing on knowledge and experience is something extremely valuable and gives one a sense of contributing to the community and to the next generation of shooters.
I know I personally have benefitted greatly from many of you who are willing to share your sometimes many decades of shooting experience.
I didn't think I had much to offer since my firearms knowledge probably fits into the size of a thimble, but when I was teaching my kids and seeing the smiles on their face and their delight and enjoyment at hitting their paper targets and balloons and gongs, that made me feel great knowing I had some degree of contribution to them developing skills they never thought they would be interested in. There are many people on CGN (just look at the new members section) who would benefit greatly from your collective insight, knowledge and wisdom.
