I want to improve my aim.

Jim drove to the cancer center on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle for checkups even though his balance was a little off. It always unnerved me when he told me he’d ridden in. He liked that. He’d been a overnight truck driver most of his life and had a lot of crazy stories he loved to tell me to see the shock on my face. He liked the tough guy image he showed the world. Still, I liked him.

Jim had been experiencing lymphoma for a number of years. He’d heard about Jin Shin Jyutsu from his oncologist and thought he’d give it a try. “What’s your goal, Jim?” I asked.  “Well, I’m a real nervous guy. I like to target practice with my slingshot in my backyard. I’ve got a pretty expensive slingshot and I can’t aim right when I get shaky. I start thinking and the next thing I know the bb hits the side of my slingshot instead of the target. I’m hoping you can help me calm down my mind so I can shoot better.” More often, the request was for help with the side effects of chemotherapy, surgery, or something along that line. ’d never had a reason like this before. Still, to me, the underlying issues was anxiety in general. The target practice was the way to express the need without being macho.

It was the 2013 and the summer Olympic games were taking place. I thought of the sharpshooters competitions I’d watched. I listened to an announcer describe how these athletes learn to slow the beating of their hearts with the use of  breathing techniques so that they are able to pull the trigger or let the arrow fly at the still, quiet moment between heartbeats. Jim hoped to find that sweet spot to improve his backyard practice. 

For a month, Jim came to see me weekly for treatment. I also taught him the finger holds for emotions to help calm himself before target practice. With each session, he said his anxiety improved and so did his slingshot aim. He got to the point where he was able to compete in an online event. Everyone sent in videos of their shooting. He didn’t win, but boy was he proud that he had improved his score enough to be able to compete. Just like in the Olympics.