Shooting From The Hip

"That's it, lean in close, cheek against the barrel, not too hard - you don't want it to take half your face off" he said.
"Okay..." carefully, I mimicked his early instructions, cheek against the barrel of the shotgun, weight on the right foot, -slightly forward, left hand on the trigger.  Poised.
"Close your right eye, keep your left eye on the target...and when you're ready, let me know" he coughed into his tartan hanky, wiped his nose and scrunched it back into his vest  "ready?"
"Ready" I said, though clearly, I wasn't.
"3,2,1...." he released the target  "NOW follow the target...wait for it to hang...and hit it at 6'0'clock"
Breathing deeply, I scrunched my right eye shut, followed the target... up, up, up.  I squeezed the trigger, hoping against all hope that I'd just hit the bloody thing.  The butt of the shotgun pulled back into my left shoulder, and though padded I could feel bruises already forming under my skin.  Big girls don't cry, so I didn't say anything. 
"Oh, good shot -but you opened your right eye at the last moment..." he shook his head.
"Ah...well I tried" a nervous giggle caught in my throat.
"Yes, now I want to you to do that again and hit at least five more targets"
Five more targets? I bit my tongue.  Could I do that?
"Ready?" he asked, wiping his brow with the tartan hanky.
"Ready"  I said and lifted my shotgun.


A/N: My sojourn to the countryside flew by so quickly! There was much reading, writing and relaxing, and I even managed a little clay pigeon shooting, which I had to write about. The shooting coach was a funny little character with far too many medals to mention.  As I listened to his excellent instruction, I thought  -this pounding shotgun into my shoulder is a little like writing, its repetitive, it hurts, but the exhilaration of hitting a target far outweighed the pain.  At least, thats what it feels like this week,  how about you? And, yes, dear friends, I may be addicted.  
Talei xox

Comments

A said…
Reading, writing, relaxing, shooting... it's all good :-)
Talei said…
* throws arms around you* Hello sweet, I've missed you! :-)
Kittie Howard said…
Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself - and, like Agnes said, this is good.

(When I was a kid, I thought a clay pigeon was a lawn statue, LOL!)
I have never shot a gun before. But yes, I think I would like it.
Awesome!

www.rebeccabany.com
Cool analogy. I hate shooting shotguns...they totally do hurt! Now a handgun, give me one of those and I love to hit that coke can calling me bad names!
Carol Kilgore said…
I took a shooting class last spring. Loved it!
Bish Denham said…
Yes, there is something quite cathartic about target practice.
Talei said…
Loving all the ladies who love shooting here. Pull up a pew!

Kittie, you mean they're not lawn statues? Oh... no wonder I kept missing. ;P

Karen, I think you would, dear... I think you really would.

Rebecca, thank you!

Jessie, they do hurt even with the shoulder pads. I must try a handgun... (lordy, listen to me!)

Carol, I enjoyed it, even if they were just clay pigeons. Fun!

Bish, totally... therapeutic and a new skill. Who knew?
Danette said…
I haven't shot much but the one time I did, I hit the target and surprised myself. I don't know that I would take it up but it is addicting! Glad your back and glad you had a good trip. Drinks all around! *clink, clink*
Melissa Amateis said…
Awesome! So glad you got to do something like this. Hubby has been teaching me how to shoot, too.
Peggy Eddleman said…
That sounds like so much fun! And I am officially beyond impressed that you were able to relate that experience to writing. Especially that well!
Carolyn V said…
I agree, it sounds so fun! Glad you had such a great time! =)
catdownunder said…
I would have no hope of hitting the target! Isn't it extraordinary what writers will do for the sake of their craft? Very brave of you!
LynNerdKelley said…
I bet your shoulder was pretty bruised up. I've never shot a rifle, and I'm not overly crazy about target practice, but I think it's good to know the basics. I like my son's cowboy gun. It's much easier to shoot!
Liza said…
I guess we all love it when we are on target!

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