Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Against The Rhythm

There are times in life when things just don't seem to fit right. The signs are obvious but we either deny they exist or try so badly to will them to change. I've always felt there is a rhythm to life. You can either go with it or against it.

I just crawled back into bed with my wife. "You're not going she asked?" I was supposed to go fishing with someone for the first time but when I arrived at their house there was no sign of life. We had been communicating by email and he never gave me his number. I tried emailing him when I was there but never got a response. I waited 20min then headed home. Just as I was getting comfortable back in bed my phone rang. "You've got to be kidding me." I said. I reluctantly got up and checked the phone. An email was there stating that the person I was meeting slept through their alarm and asked if I still wanted to go. It was already an hour past when we were supposed to leave and I wasn't sure what to do. My gut was telling me the day was already done for and I should stay home. "You're already ready, you should just go." My wife said. I did want to go fishing. I grabbed my gear and headed out the door quick. Even with the feeling that I was going against the rhythm. Not just against it but at full speed. So fast in fact that on the way to meet back up with my fellow angler I was stopped by a policeman. Our greetings were short and I left with a ticket. Another sign that the rhythm of the day was just not right. I wondered if I should just head home. I told myself, even though not truly believing it, that what I needed if anything was a good fishing trip. After meeting up and hearing several apologies for the late start we headed to the coast. The forecast called for mid 60's weather and rain possibly in the evening. When we arrived it looked like the forecast was a little off.
As we walked to the surf drops of rain started to hit our face. I felt this was just par for the course on this day. My new focus was just not to drown or get a hook stuck in my head. I figured that's where this day may be headed. There was no surprise when I saw absolutely zero bait in the water. I still figured the day may be salvaged with one fish. One fish to make the whole morning go away. Then my line jerked and started to move with the current. "Got one!" I yelled. Something wasn't right. This fish wasn't fighting very hard. As I brought it closer I couldn't even tell what it was. Turns out it was a dead fish. Those usually aren't biting but when the rhythm is disturbed anything can happen. Going over the positive things in my life and trying to learn from my mistakes is all I could really do to brighten up the day. 

In the end the rain stopped and I knew there were a lot worse places I could be. I started to fish less and watch more. Several porpoise breached the water in the distance. The sun tried to show itself several times creating beautiful scenery.
Even with the events of the day I was able to fall back into rhythm.

10 comments:

  1. Sounds like one of those days that makes you feel that it would have been better if you had just stayed in bed but if you can salvage the appreciation of the beautiful surroundings then it makes it all worth it. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of that when fishing (and life) beats us down.

    But seriously no-one should be late for a fishing trip... that just ain't right. :-)

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    1. There's 3 things in life you should never be late for. Work, Church and Fishing. ~ "A River Runs Through it."

      The guy really did feel bad and I can't say it will never happen to me.

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  2. I'm a firm believer in the rhythm of life and don't believe in rocking the boat. You may be able to outlast a bad day, but them again, maybe not. I find staying in bed with the wife a lovely idea.

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    1. You know me Howard. Many times I have to learn the hard way.

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  3. Haha yep, seems like we had similar posts. Glad to hear you are falling back into rhythm, water has a way of doing that to us. Feeds and restores.

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    1. So true. It's hard to stay grumpy while you're enjoying nature.

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  4. Once, (probably more than one if I really think about it) this scenario played out for me over a whole weekend fishing trip. Now that is the blues! As you get older you will realize that being thankful for what opportunities you have is better than not having or taking the opportunity. Think of the serenity, Kevin.

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    1. Glad you could stop by Mel. Thanks for the comment.

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  5. Kevin
    Why would anyone miss a wake up call to fish in an area like this? Were you using spinning, fly rods, and what species of fish were you stalking? Thanks for sharing

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    1. We were fly fishing. Mainly using clousers. It's a really physical type of fishing. You're fishing sinking lines and stripping the clousers as fast as you can through the surf. No real places to sit down and take a break. You just walk the beach and cast. We were going for anything that bites. Hoping for speckled trout or redfish.

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