It’s funny how something so seemingly innocent can spark an action with far-reaching consequences for someone’s wellbeing (and wallet).
On Thursday, July 16th, my wife Kathy and I were sitting on a bench near the site of the newly demolished Dock & Dine Restaurant in Old Saybrook watching the Connecticut River blend into the Long Island Sound. As we enjoyed the sunshine and accompanying breeze, it felt like the stresses of life were more than a million miles away as the sea air cleansed us.
That was when my “Eureka” moment struck.
A guy strolled onto the fishing jetty and cast out his line. He was using what looked like an 11 or 12-foot rod with a polished metal lure with a tail of some kind attached to the end of his line.
He would cast and retrieve, cast and retrieve without a bite but he didn’t seem bothered. He didn’t care there were no fish trying to devour his lure. He was relaxing in the sun and the clean fresh air in his own way. He had his rod, reel, line and lure and he was happy with his lot. As I watched in fascination for maybe an hour, I decided, “That looks like fun. I want to do that.”
We left him casting and retrieving and on our journey home, I thought more about what I had seen. Kathy has been saying for a while I needed a hobby that didn’t involve sitting at a computer in the evening and weekends. I use a computer eight hours a day at my day job and recently I’ve increasingly felt the need to try and relax more away from a PC.
Fishing made sense in so many ways:
• I had a somewhat rusty knowledge base lurking somewhere in the dark recesses of my brain
• It meant being out and about enjoying the sea air that Kathy and I love so much
• I already had some gear
Winner!
Thank you lone fisherman with your darkened, pixelated face and grey hair fluttering in the breeze, you have sown the seeds for me to have an outlet for some much-needed relaxation.
Dave's Fish Tales 