Quinn G. writing at In the Back Eddy put up a great post this past Saturday – Days Like These.
Our pick for the must read post from the FFlogs for the Memorial Day weekend, QG hits a home run capturing the struggle almost all we fly fisher folk feel when battling the pull of real life responsibilities.
I think I have written about this before, although I can’t remember exactly where or when right now, mostly because I am exhausted. No one likes to read (or hear) people complain about being tired, so I will try to make that the last such mention of my tiredness. I only bring it up because my mind has been thinking about the old time vs. money paradox that I often think about in life.
I am firmly of the opinion that, assuming I can make enough money to live, time is a more valuable resource than cash. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone else thinks my time is a nice resource also. And through my own ineptitude I end up spending oodles of time on things that are not fly fishing.
And another good cut….
Last weekend I snuck off and went fishing for the first time in a month. It wasn’t an epic trip. I spent six or seven hours on a lake landed a total of three fish. But it was nice to not feel rushed or counted on.
I am reminded of the John Gierach quote: “Life is short, and responsibility is overrated.” It is generally our responsibilities to other people that eat up our time. I don’t know a magic trick that somehow fixes all this. I am in far too deep to junk it all and become a trout bum, and that is not what I want anyway.
I just want enough of those days on the water to keep going. Days spent locked in and responsible only to myself and the next cast. Hoping to drop the fly in that little bucket two currents over where I can imagine a trout might rise. If I can get enough of those kind of days, I’ll be okay.
Very well worth a click to read the entire piece.
We’ve all been there at one point in our lives or another, and for most of us, somehow life’s puzzle fits together to allow good fathers to be good fathers and still be fly fishermen.
The tyranny of the urgent doesn’t go away. I’m having that argument with myself this morning – get that long list of work tasks done or fish a few hours late this morning.
Cranking up the rationalization machine, it didn’t take long to figure out a way to get both done. Pics and report to follow.
