Letting Go and Having Fun – Go Axe Throwing

Number 12 on my list of forty-five things was to go axe throwing.  It is something I have wanted to do for a while, but I hadn’t because I was afraid I would look stupid, or I would cut off my knee cap or something equally embarrassing.

But, this is the year of trying all the things.  So, last night, on my birthday, my wife Nancee, our friend Bonnie and I went to BATL London where we met Cameron, our amazing coach.  Nancee was incredible right from the start.  She was throwing bulls-eye after bulls-eye.  I am a bit of a slower start. After a few super close, but not quite ANYWHERE near the target throws, I finally got my rhythm and figured out when to let go of the axe.  It’s quite an important part of the whole “throwing” part of axe throwing.  And soon…this:

Yup!  That’s my first bulls-eye.  I was so proud. In the end, I won the tournament.  I am pretty sure everyone was letting me win because it was my birthday.  But whether I won or lost, I had so much fun.

That is the lesson in this experience for me.  I need more fun in my life.  I need to just go out and laugh and know that my kids are fine, and I don’t have to always be concerned about my responsibilities.  And for me, throwing the axe was a very tangible way for me to remember that sometimes, you just have to let things go. It is impossible to hit the target if you don’t let go of the axe.  In the same way, I will never reach my goals or be the person I am meant to be if I continue to hold on to past pain, anger, resentment or limiting beliefs about myself.  I need to just let go, let out the energy, the frustration, the stress…in this case, I did it by literally throwing out all my stored up energy.  I don’t remember the last time Nancee and I went out just to do something fun.  And it was so much fun that I suspect we will go again.  I realize that I deserve to laugh.  I know I looked pretty silly…check out my face in that selfie…but it didn’t matter.

Part of my healing journey has been recognizing that I take myself far too seriously sometimes. You really can’t take yourself too seriously when hurling hatchets at a wall.

How often do we allow ourselves to really unwind, to really laugh, to really let go and truly enjoy and have fun?  This year, I intend to have a lot more!