Sometimes You Just Have To Go Fishing

It's been a long week.  A lot of chores that need to be done.  Homework.  Family stuff.  Job.  Lack of sleep.  Stress.  Car broke down.  Do you know the feeling?  We all do.  Best solution? 

Go fishing of course.


Nice Cheeks

Now I'm not implying that the problems will be better when you get home, in fact, going fishing usually makes things worse.  You end up with less time to get your work done, the house is still a mess when you get home, the laundry is in a pile on the floor, the dishes are stacked up on the counter, and you are still broke or even more so.  

But when I find myself out of synch, Lord give me my fly rod and a river.  When I'm on the water all the less important stuff falls away and only what really matters remains.  At the end of a few hours on the water I feel like I can focus, come back to reality, think straight.     

Evening on the 'Root, aka Therapy Session

The best therapists that I know happen to be my 4 weight and a trout stream.  What I get while fly fishing is something that I rarely get doing anything else, clarity.  The river can be a great teacher, if you take the time to listen.  One thing that I get reminded of every time I'm knee deep in the water is that life is better lived at the speed of a trout stream.

Particularly that of a river like my home water, the Bitterroot.  This stream for the most part is easy going, meandering through the valley, in no hurry to leave, to get somewhere else.  It seems to be happy where it is, takes it's time getting to the next bend, hole, or riffle, and never takes the straight and easy route.  Sure, it has it's share of log-jams , a few blemishes (rip-rap banks), and some dead water.  But what person doesn't have a few of those things?

Like life, a river just keeps rolling along.  It's been flowing long before I was here, and it will keep on flowing long after I am gone.        

Big Spots

 So whenever the junk in life piles up, my fly rod will be at the ready.  Sometimes you can't always solve the problems in life right away.

Sometimes you just have to go fishing.

No Day Like Today