{catching on} 3 things I’ve learned fishing with my son

There are two reasons I became a strong swimmer at a young age.The first? My father was so sure I could swim that he tossed me into Peconic Bay from the deck of a boat when I was 2. (Thankfully, he was right.)

I have my older cousins to thank for the second reason. Adoration is a powerful catalyst, and I was in awe as I watched them earn their very own fishing poles by swimming from the dock at my family’s fishing station to Tern Island and back . . . a distance that seemed Atlantic Ocean-like to a pre-schooler.

While may have been a natural-born swimmer, my fishing prowess was another story altogether. Sure, I loved reeling ’em in, but I struggled with the stretches of time between bites. I preferred swimming, sunning, boating and waterskiing to casting, waiting, waiting . . . and waiting.

Nearly four decades later, my son Justus schooled me – FISHING ROCKS , , , and here’s why:

 

1. Being present is better than being patient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing is all about the now. Justus and I don’t talk much, but we’re tuned in . . . to each other and to what’s going on around us.

There’s no patience or impatience, just presence. And, there’s ease in our efforts, even when we’re untangling a rat’s nest in the line. (OK, a rat’s nest in my line. Satisfied?)

 

2. Doing a little of what you love is better than not doing it all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only 45 minutes until he’s playing “The Pink Panther” at his piano lesson? To Justus, that’s plenty of time to surf cast. He squeezes in as much fishing as possible,  whenever and wherever he can.

Following his lead, I’ve taken more walks on the beach, jotted more notes to people I love, read more books and written more poems.

 

3. Curiosity is joyful. Joy is contagious. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whenever we visit someplace new, Justus wants to find out its fishing framework. Species? Best bait? What’s a keeper? Secret hot spots? When he’s deep in his need-to-know fishing flow, his joy is contagious. It swells like a rising tide . . . inevitable, uncomplicated and wondrous.