The Arch Of Life

Mahesh was holding a bow in his hands and was trying to get the arrow nocked' on the bowstring. 

He then pulls the string towards his chin, increasing the tension, just right for the shoot.

Then takes proper aim so as to release the arrow that could gather the right momentum to hit the target.

 

One more arrow misses the point and he looks in exasperation at the countless arrows strewn around.

Leave alone the bull's eye, the arrows were nowhere around the outer or inner fields of the target board.

He sat down for a while, and thought, that this sport, Archery, was very symbolic of his life's strains and stresses, tensions, and tedium. the effort he made to learn each aspect of the game, reflected in his life's struggles and stipulations.

But he took up Archery as a hobby, he began to realize that this was a sport played outdoors in the vastness of soothing scenic backgrounds of nature.

It required patience, concentration and a calm disposition .  

Drawing the bowstring itself was a tough job which took him quite some time. The balance of forces between drawing and releasing took some time to learn.

It made him see sense in his life situations where he had to bring about an equilibrium in his emotions in order to achieve results in his personal and professional life.

Placing the arrow on the nock point too took a lot of time to manage. Now he was practicing shooting the arrow to the target, the bull's eye. 

His practice sessions were sometimes disappointing as all the arrows would go helter-skelter and land in a heap around the target board.

With so much of practice, he now realized that unlike before he is less agitated, and has improved concentration and patience.

After several months he patted himself with a sigh of relief and encouraged himself to achieve the last leg of learning Archery with more determination and application.

He thanked himself for taking to this sport as a hobby at the behest of his best friend.

Today when he looks back, he is a much calmer person, ore balanced, appreciative, helpful and active. His worries and tensions could be tackled with more levelheadedness.

The game taught him to be more grounded and practical, now being less critical of people and situations, and accepting losses and gains with equanimity and dignity.

Whether he hit the bull's eye or not, he could now focus clearly on his day to day targets and incomplete missions of his life.

Thanks to Archery, he learned to bend like a bowstring as per the demands of the situation, and became more accommodating and adjusting. Releasing the arrow was like releasing his own pent up tensions and worries, that kept him on an edge always making him nervous and different. 

Hitting the target was like attaining his aims and goals in life. Those unfulfilled desires and dreams that would always mock at him, bringing down his image in his own eyes 

Today Mahesh, 'The Bowman' is a very happy man, contented and in peace with himself. 

He was very happy that the game is so close to life situations, that it is a metaphor for life and living.

How to treat life also as a sport and follow the rules and regulations of the game.

After all, life is a game, and a game worth playing in a most beautiful and beloved manner.

Losses and gains are part and parcel of life and should be taken in a more magnanimous way.

What matters is that we played a good game, well tried, deserving the dues according to worth, talent, knowledge, application, experience and a host of other features of the game called Life.