Weekends have started getting a little monotonous around the Merritt household. Our typical COVID date night has evolved into checking on construction at the new house, take-out for dinner, and then Netflix or Hulu for fun.
This past weekend I decided to mix things up a bit. I conspired with my sister and her boyfriend to take Matt on a “mystery” date night to two places he had previously expressed an interest in visiting. Matt and I masked up and set out for two mystery locations.
First stop: Vallarta’s.
It was fun to watch Matt’s intrigue when I requested a table for four.
My sister and her boyfriend joined as surprise dinner guests. Dinner was delicious!
Next up: Grizzly Axes!
Matt was so surprised when we drove up to Grizzly Axes, and I was excited! Axe throwing was a first-time experience for all four of us.
Masks were worn in common areas and could be removed once we got to our socially-distanced lane.
It was a special black light weekend, and we were ready to throw some axes!
A couple notes on axe throwing:
1) You need to hit your mark; AND
2) Your axe needs to stick into the wood target.
How hard can it be, right?
What all of my wonderful planning did not account for was the fact that… well… it turns out I’m not so hot at axe throwing!
My first axe hit one of the outer rings of the target and stuck. I was off to a good start!
But then… it seemed like everyone else was gradually getting better… and I was consistently getting worse!
My axe would hit the target but would bounce off the wood and crash to the floor.
Or worse- I would miss the target completely AND it would bounce and crash to the floor!
Team Merritt quickly lost the first game thanks to my sub-par skills.
I wanted to quit.
My first instinct to is stop trying something I am not “good” at and switch to something I am “good” at. Everyone likes to win, right? To be successful?
You know what we call that?
Fear of failure.
Sometimes I would rather quit than fail.
But isn’t quitting just a quicker path to failure?
I couldn’t let my fear ruin the night for everyone else. I turned my frown upside down and kept the axes flying.
You know what? I even threw a couple of bullseyes!
I never made a PERFECT bullseye with the axe dead center in the neon orange circle. But left center earns the same 6 points as perfect center!
Had I let fear win, I never would have experienced the excitement of sticking those throws.
We all have our own “bullseyes” in life.
Our bullseyes can be financial, health-related, travel-inspired, family-oriented… you name it.
Don’t let fear keep you from throwing the next axe! Whatever it is you’re aiming for, don’t be so afraid to miss that you give up on trying.
The death of a family member can leave us fearful, grief-stricken, and paralyzed.
When my mom passed away a few years ago, I did not know how my life could go on without her. I had so many milestones in life I still needed her for.
Today I know my mom would not want my grief to keep me from aiming for life’s bullseyes. I can still make her proud by throwing those proverbial axes.
Hopefully you are not processing the death of a family member on top of everything else going on in today’s COVID world.
If you are, this free Survivor Checklist: Six Steps to Take After a Loved One Dies in Florida will help you organize the steps to take next.
Lauren "Still Aiming for My Bulleye" Merritt
Lauren Merritt is an affiliated independent counsel with My Pink Lawyer®. Lauren handles uncontested Florida probate matters on the Gulf Coast. She can be reached by phoning our offices.
