Some people are just great people. There's not really any specific reason for it, they just seem to be made that way. I've been fortunate enough to have a friend like that. His name is Preston. Recently I lost a rod, and it wasn't that big of a deal, the worst part was the timing. This is the middle of summer, not really the best time to trout fish, but it is a great time to hunt for bass or gar. I have really wanted to catch a gar. I have the flies and I had the rod but alass the rod was lost on the New River excursion over the 4th of July weekend.
This weekend I was going fishing with Preston and he said he had a extra 8wt rod I can use. We were going to check out some new bass ponds near where I lived I hadn't fished before. Before we started fishing he showed me a new TFO rod he just bought that was pretty sweet. Then he pulls out a aluminum case that looked like it was holding some top secret rod. This case was literally a steel or aluminum tube that could double as a weapon if needed. The rod inside was worthy of being in a tube that nice, it was a Orvis 8wt. I put the rod together and gave the stick a few swings, it was a great rod.
I went to hand it back and Preston says, "that's yours." I was like, oh this is the one you brought for me to use? He said "No, I have another one for that, you can have this one, I have a reel for it too" I was flabbergasted and immediately tried to hand the rod back, I felt that is too nice of a rod just to give to someone. It was nicer than any rod I had currently or have ever had. Preston was insistent that I keep it, he told me he never used the rod and it just sits in his closet, he'd rather have someone use it then have it collect dust.
I was adimant about giving him money or something for the rod even if was just tying materials. After bothering him about it, he finally gave in and said he would take a nice case of beer as payment.
In a way I looked at this as the fishing gods replacing the rod that was lost in the river. I had been thinking about how I was going to get another 8wt. I thought about buying a cheap cabela's one to replace the one I lost. With a new baby on the way my wife and I have been pinching pennies. This was a real blessing. I might be able to catch a gar after all.
The coolest thing is I don't think Preston gave me the rod because he is rich and has a surplus of killer rods to dispose of, or felt I'd like him more and think he was a cool guy. I really do beleive he gave it to me because he gunuinely knew I would appreciate it and use the rod. I hope some day I can make the same gesture and make someone just as happy.
Some people just get it. That is a profound gesture made by you're friend, and shows that he is the rare individual that gets pleasure out of giving. I see this at work in the people that donate massive amounts of time to the National Park, just because. Thank God people like them exist to offset all the ones who just take. Kudos to you on the rod. You should come up and go smallie fishin with that stick sometime.
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