Shooting has become an important part of my life. We each come to firearms training and practice with different goals, but most of us end up enjoying our practice for similar reasons. While I enjoy many different aspects of the shooting sports, I have come to treasure and protect my range time as a time that I can completely focus, set everything else aside, and simply engage with the very Zen aspects of firearm training. Like gardening, fishing, and many of my other passions, shooting is ultimately a solitary sport (even in the presence of others). It requires a still mind and deliberate surrender of self. The focus, discipline and the quiet of the mind is deeply healing for me, and you'll hear similar descriptions from many firearm enthusiasts. While this approach it is not required to become proficient in firearm use, this is the main reason I continue to develop and practice as a shooter. 

I come from a service-oriented family and both my parents are medical professionals. I have worked for over 30 years as a caregiver, administrator and advocate for people with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities. Service to others and to my community has always been a core value of mine, and caring for people has taught me humility and to value the dignity of each person. I currently work with veterans with disabilities in the northern Front Range area. 

My wife Jasmine and I live in Lyons where she's a small business owner, teaches Nia, and engages with me in local and regional issues. I'm a passionate hobbyist and enjoy composting and vermicomposting (see my website Lyonswormworks.com), houseplants (orchids, carnivorous plants, ornamentals and medicinal plants), beekeeping, home brewing and distilling, birding, reading, camping, growing gourmet mushrooms, tinkering and building things, laying around daydreaming, and teaching myself new skills.