As I considered topics for this month's article I kept coming back to one.  It is shooting related, but I hope the messages will extend over into other areas in your life.  It was one year ago that I was bucked off a young horse I was training and thrown into the side of a wooden round pen. I dislocated my elbow, shattered my radius bone, and blew out the capsule that holds the elbow together. 

Today, I am almost as good as new.  I have 90% of my mobility back and though I still experience weakness and some issues with my wrist, I am very happy with my recovery. As many of the regular, long-term customers are aware, I continued to instruct during my surgeries and during my recovery.  This injury occurred to my right elbow and I am a right handed shooter.  I was not going to stop carrying in our beloved city of Memphis just because of an injury, so I suited up with my left handed holster and carried that way for 4-5 months.

As I look back it seems that a year has passed by so quickly.  However, in midst of my recovery, time seemed to move so slowly. Sometimes when we slow down we see things differently and even learn something. A pastor once delivered a sermon and the phase that sticks in my mind is that as humans we are always either headed into a storm, in the midst of a storm, or coming out of a storm. My elbow injury storm has passed, but there will always be other storms. Each situation or storm we are dealt in life has a lesson or several of them. Many times the lessons take some time to surface and to be accepted. As I say this to you, it is my hope that you can find a lesson in whatever current storm you are in or coming out of. There are many types of storms in life: illness, injury, death of a loved one, separation, divorce, unemployment, and the list goes on. As I ponder the last year, here are three of the lessons I learned:

Lesson 1: It is always easiest to do what you know and are comfortable with, but the greatest learning can come from having to do it different.  After my injury, I began practicing my left handed shooting skills. I would practice draw and fire, shoot 1-inch dots, shoot the 50 round permit qualification course, clear malfunctions one handed, and change magazines with one hand. I challenged Chip, our training director, to do the same - because as most of you know we always have a "friendly" shooting competition going on. This friendly challenge gave me the desire to work harder and to practice more with my left hand. Having to practice and carry with only my left hand has made me a better shooter - not just on my left side, but a better all-around shooter.

Lesson 2: You can always use your storm to help teach others and maybe even be an inspiration to them. I can truthfully tell students that it is possible to shoot, change magazines, and clear malfunctions all with one hand. This greatly helps when I have a disabled or injured student, because not only can I teach them the skills, but I can encourage them in a special way. It makes all the pain, frustration, and aggravations of my injury seem worth it when I see someone take on their challenge and achieve the desired results.

Lesson 3: A support system is always around you and sometimes that support comes from people you would least expect.  During my recovery I found my Range USA family was a great support system for me. They did everything from lifting my spirits, to concern for my recovery process, to assisting me on the range during permit qualifications (though I could clear malfunctions on my handgun, there were many customer guns I could not), and they did much more. As I look back, I can see that I had more support from my bosses and co-workers than I did some of my relatives.  The customers of Range USA are awesome too, as their concern and caring words are something I will always remember. It proves that family is all around and not just those we are related to by blood. So, thank you to my Range USA family for your support the last year, and also to the many caring customers who come through the doors.

So, where are you.....headed into a storm, in the midst of a storm, or coming out of a storm? Where ever you are, I hope you can rise above it, learn from it, and come away from it a stronger and better person.  And, for all of you that have yet to injure your dominant shooting arm or hand, do not wait. Learn those skills now. Learn to shoot with your support hand and practice! If an injury does not get you, someone on the streets of Memphis may. You could always be shot in your dominant arm or they could injure that arm, and you will be forced to pick up the gun in your support hand and use it to save your life. Take Self-Defense Handgun II to start you on those valuable support hand skills.

Kristen Bauer

Instructor