The Attraction of Bullseye

Seven-eighths of the way through the first day of work after the Christmas and New Years holidays and it suddenly hit me why we like Bullseye.

It’s quite simple: it’s because it’s simple.

To shoot an X, get good quality equipment and ammunition, stand in a stable position, line up the sights, forget the wobble, focus your attention on the front sight while maintaining the alignment and all the while moving the trigger straight back, and “Bang!”, you’ll shoot an X.

Now I know that sounds like a lot and, trust me, saying is a lot easier than doing but, nonetheless, if you do what it says in the previous paragraph, you’ll shoot an X. And if you can do it again and again, you’ll shoot X after X. It really is that simple!

But when I look at “real life”, things are not so simple. Shooting an X in your day to day life is a whole lot more difficult.

First of all, there are an enormous number of rules to follow. I got a bunch from my Mom and Dad (which sometimes conflict), of course, and my wife has her own set, too. The state of Arizona has its rules some of which are dramatically different as of the first of the year (so don’t be drinking and driving here, to mention just one change). Then there are the US laws to know and follow not to mention those I read or hear about on Sundays.

The boss seems to have his own ideas, too. Not always knowing what he has in mind, it gets a little confusing sometimes. (“Faith” is a useful concept in many places, not just church.)

And we all know that the customer is always right, don’t we? Don’t we??

Second, the rules in real life keep changing.

Everybody is up to date on all the US income tax changes for the year just ended, right?

New state and federal laws?

But thank goodness I’ve got a good strong moral foundation. That never changes, right? (Well, I vote Republican or Libertarian now but, yes, there was a time when I thought the Democrats really knew what they were doing. Oh but don’t get me started.) Suffice it to say that, yeah, my ideas of right and wrong have been tested by the winds of time and there are a few bent reeds from all that.

Oh, life would be so much easier if we just had a rulebook, wouldn’t it?

And I guess that’s why I like Bullseye. There *is* a rulebook, and there *is* an easy to remember way of shooting absolute perfection.

A little memorizing, a little practice – well, maybe a *lot* of practice – and, voila, X after X after X.

Bullseye really is simple. Just do what it says and, “Bang!”, there’s your X.

So here I am now with a half-hour to go in the workday. I’m hunkered down in my hole in the ground and, you can bet your bottom dollar that after what’s been flying back and forth already today, I’m not stickin’ *my* head out. Nope, no way. I’m staying down here in my hole and I ain’t comin’ out no matter what.

Instead, I’m dreaming of something simple.

I’m mentally lining up the sights, keeping my attention focused on the front sight and moving that trigger straight back.

Bang!

An X!

Yeah, I could spend a lot more time shootin’ Xs, a *lot* more time.

Why can’t life be this simple?

Bang!

Another X!

Oh yeah. A fella’ could get used to this.

I *like* simple.