I love Father’s Day. It’s a well-deserved time to celebrate Dad a man that I adore and admire. As you might know, I come from a long line of florists, my father and my grandfather. What you might not know is that aside from our mutual love of flowers and plants, my father and I share a passion for fishing. Ocean, lake, stream, pond, carnival game – I love it all and so does my Dad.
Summer outings with my Father – on the rare occasion he didn't work (This is where my love of my career stems from) – always centered around a fishing outing. I didn’t know it all those years ago that Dad threw in a few life lessons along with the fishing advice. But I’m glad he did.
The secret “lessons” began even before the outing. I look back and see now where my attention to details, organization and preparedness comes from: Dad and I would see that we were prepared and the car was packed at least by the day before. I knew by heart what time to wake up, what time we would get to the fishing hole, what we were fishing for, and what we needed as far as supplies. Tackle boxes, rods and reels, folding chairs, canopy, cooler for any prize catches, bait (both live and lures), lunch (tomato and mayo and PB&J sandwiches) and snacks (always included M&Ms and Pringles), wind breaker jackets and warm weather clothes. Check, check, check and check. If we were casting ocean lines, did I bring my Dramamine? Yes, yes I did.
The actual fishing came with its own secret “lessons.” Patience and persistence I see now was “taught” to me. It was never about dropping the line or having to get the big fish, it was all about the time in between. Sometimes all you can do is be patient and wait to see – maybe the fishing spot was wrong, maybe I was trying too hard, maybe the lure wasn’t right. To this day when I get frustrated or impatient, I take a deep breath and remember all of the outings with Dad. The calm comes right away.
Life isn’t and never will be about the “catch”. It’s about the enjoying all you can from every bit of every day. So Happy Father’s Day Dad and thank you lessons and the occasional big fish too!
- Barbara