Widow's Voice

Don’t Wait

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Spring is kicking into high gear here in Southern Oregon at what seems like an earlier rate than usual. The other day it got into the low 80s. Sun is shining, bulbs are coming up everywhere, I managed to get all my Easter decor out for once (it’s been years since I did that), and I’m definitely feeling the pull to get outdoors more.

Spring is also the time of year most representative of life, especially new life, in the natural world. Symbolically, this can also be related to new beginnings. Along those lines, I’ve been incorporating some new things into my life.

The first thing is archery, just for fun. I had bought a recurve bow back in 2024 and it basically just sat in the closet. My dad was my original inspiration for it as he used a long bow when he was younger. I remember my dad being happy about me getting into it.

I was hung up on how to string it for a long time though. And then for one reason or another, I just didn’t pick it up, especially after my dad passed away. It kinda made me sad knowing he wanted me to get into it and didn’t actually see it happen.

But sometimes, things happen on their own timelines too. And I feel that’s what has happened here. A few months ago I finally got the bow strung at a local outdoor sporting goods shop. The guy showed me how to do it and didn’t even charge me. So that was step one.

I also had a feeling that the archery would really resonate with me. It was like, I knew my ancestors were guiding me to it (I most certainly had ancestors who were archers).

So when I finally got the bow, the arrows and the big bag target I had bought and went out into the field on my property to give it a go, it wasn’t a serious surprise that I wasn’t half bad.

I had actually used a bow, briefly, back when I was 12 or so. I remember my dad took me with him to visit a friend of his one day and that friend’s son did archery and let me have a go at it. I can’t remember how I did back then though.

I have no desire to do anything with the archery besides aim at inanimate targets, but I can honestly say that I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. It’s a great break during the day or evening, it’s highly satisfying hitting the target, and it’s a nice activity to break up all the computer work I do.

The other evening I was out practicing and my neighbor came by. Sound carries oddly here and the arrows make a distinctive sound when hitting the target bag. So she was super curious what the sound was. The sun was going down by this point, so we sat around chatting a bit. She’s about 20 years older than me, but we have a few things in common (gardening and hitting thrift stores for example) and we always have good conversations.

I mentioned to her some of the other things I want to do, such as create a walking labyrinth on my property and how I don’t want to just talk about this stuff anymore. I want to actually make these things happen. I’m at the point where I ask myself, if I have the means, why wait?

So my new thing is, don’t wait. If there is something that brings you happiness or comfort and you have the means to do it, don’t wait.

About Sherry Holub

I met my spouse, Mario, at UCLA School of Art in 1993. After graduating in 1995, I founded a small agency specializing in web and graphic design. Mario became my partner in the company in 1999. In 2002, we were married at the Costa Mesa, CA court house because neither of us wanted a big wedding ceremony (after already being together since 1995).

Mario was a highly talented artist, musician, illustrator and 3D Designer, but a tortured one. He was one of those gentle, creative souls who ended up burning twice as bright for half as long. Mario lost the battle with liver disease induced by alcoholism (almost exactly 6 months after he became sober) on 2/10/21.

I’m a long-time artist and writer with a background in photography who enjoys cooking, getting outdoors, staying young at heart, and sharing experiences to potentially help others. When it comes to writing, I’ve written both for fun and professionally over the years. Writing is also sometimes therapy for me and I don’t mind sharing my personal experiences with a wider audience.