The Hooded Man

So. I've taken up archery. Why have I done this crazy thing you ask? As part of my campaign, duh. As in "I promise to live up to my namesake, but I will only rob from the rich to give to the poor as your duly elected representative (VOTE FOR ME)." In fact, somebody call the local paper and pitch that as a political cartoon about my campaign. A little caricature of me aiming my bow at a fat cat with an arrow that has "tax reform" written on it's side. Now I just need something catchy to shout to supporters at public appearances. How about "The heart of darkness shall be pierced by my arrows of righteousness! Also, tax reform."

Good thinking, eh? Although it's actually just what I tell people to shut them up when they snicker about how someone like myself would do something so "hick-ish." Shutup, shutup, shutup. I'm a Renaissance man, mofos. I can do it all. The real reasons mostly have to do with archery as a sport. I work part time from home. It sounds great. It isn't. I've got cabin fever BAD and very little money. I wanted a sport that I could do on my time, that I could afford, that wouldn't be unduly hampered by my limp or my weight (the combination of those has wrecked my back and legs) and which is generally non-competitive. The first thought was swimming. I used to love to swim. Never trained so don't expect to see me do those fancy somersault wall kicks, but I can float on my back or tread water for hours, I can dive to the bottom and swim halfway across the lap lanes in one breath, got a decent top speed etc. etc. Or at least, I used to be able to do these things. I haven't really gone in years and there are reasons. The nearest indoor pool is half an hour away and gross and crowded. The town pool is very nice but it's only open three months a year. Only two are good for swimming and even then many days are almost complete losses due to summer showers and how we get kicked out at every rumble, flash or drip. Not to mention, it's very expensive. I considered martial arts, but again, expensive and far away from me, not to mention not to mention that I'm probably not healthy enough to do it. I also wanted to stay away from team and competitive sports for two reasons. One is logistical. I didn't want to have to sync my schedule with other people and play at prescribed times. The other is because people who play competitive sports have the wrong attitude, I think. It's all about stats and winning and improving your game rather than considering how simply playing the game improves you.

Wow, that came out a lot more Buddha than I'd intended. So let me rephrase. It's a simple, mechanical activity that gets me outside, requires my focus, but is also cathartic and consequently, it's a good chance to clear my mind and any exercise I may be getting by pulling the bowstring and chasing after my arrows on the rocky, hilly, crazy terrain has got to be better than what I was doing before.

Oh, and I really was named after Robin Hood. It's a long story. Or at the very least, a stupid one. Suffice to say that as a kid, I didn't like it, but when I learned that my father had been thinking about Frank or Floyd (After Frank James and Pretty Boy Floyd respectively) I was thankful my mother came up with it.