My Week in Review

Embracing Discomfort (plus cool guns and ammo reviews)

It’s been a typical spring here in the South so far. We rarely get mild temperatures and sunshine. Instead, it always feels like Mother Nature is in the throes of some major hormonal mood swings. Just when the temps hit 80, and we start to think it’s safe to pack up the winter gear and head out into the sunshine… Wham… Winter comes charging back in to keep us humble.

I’m on Day 29 of a 75 Hard challenge. I needed a new short-term goal and thought, “Why not? I’ve got nothing better to do than make myself miserable for the sake of developing “mental toughness” or something like that.”

The challenge lasts 75 days and requires two daily workouts (among other things), one of which has to be outside.

This week saw torrential rainfalls that threaten to break river flood stages, ruining what should be prime shad fishing this time of year. As if that wasn’t enough to induce tears, this stupid challenge also had me heading outdoors in monsoon weather to complete what Andy Frisella assures me will increase confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, self-belief, and grit by 100 times.”

If I don’t end up dying from pneumonia, I should be good.

As Mike Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, says, “We are living progressively sheltered, sterile, temperature-controlled, overfed, under-challenged, safety-netted lives.”

Meanwhile, there is a growing body of evidence showing that embracing physical and mental discomfort can make us happier, healthier, and more resilient.

So embracing a little discomfort is a good thing.

This is why I ditched my dry, comfortable, 70-degree house on Thursday morning to head out into the cold, pouring rain. I got thoroughly soaked and ended up with raw bleeding blisters because my socks, while generally comfy in dry weather, were apparently not made for slogging through torrential, flood-inducing downpours.

Interestingly enough, I decided not to take my usual workout partner on my rain-soaked run. I didn’t want my dog to be miserable. I’ll save the cat-and-dog misery weather for myself, thank you very much.

Besides, Penny doesn’t need self-improvement. She’s already perfect.

Where You Can Find Me This Week

Life is good these days. When I’m not wading through rainwater to (supposedly) improve my health and happiness, I’m staying pretty busy. Here’s where you can find my writing this week.

Field & Stream
The Best Turkey Chokes of 2024 - Playing around with chokes has been a lot of shoulder abuse, but it’s also been fun.

Best Turkey Loads of 2024, Tested and Reviewed - It still blows my mind that there are pictures of little old me on F&S. Eight-year-old Alice would be so freakin’ stoked!

Recoil
Best Belly Band Holsters for Concealed Carry - These belly bands are nothing like your grandma’s Spanx. They do more than help suck in a poochy gut. They also provide a discreet way to carry an EDC firearm.

Pew Pew Tactical
Best Mouse Guns of 2024: Tiny Guns for Spy-Level Concealment - Hold on to your cheese! In this one, I dive into the world of ultra-tiny mouse guns.