In celebrating New Year's Eve, Miss Carol and I decided to do Chinese food and therefore a trip to the New China Buffet was in order.
The eats were pretty dog-gone good I tell you, and of course as it is with eating Chinese cuisine there is always that fortune cookie at the end of the meal.
As I cracked the vessel that contained my future, the strip of paper inside fell to the table and the words revealed themselves. The cookie simply said, "You're life will be peaceful and fulfilling."
As I read the fortune that included the words peaceful and fulfilling... that somehow equated to the fact, at least to me, I would be fly fishing a lot more in the upcoming year.
When I am fly fishing I am peaceful. When fly fishing I find fulfillment.
They say whatever you're doing on the first day of the new year is what you will do the rest of that year... so I went fly fishing. On the river Blue I caught up with long time friend Chris Adams and we fished together. No, we didn't get to fish long, but, the time spent was peaceful and fulfilling.
But, I do. More often than most think.
There was a time that my arse cheeks were so familiar with a certain padded pew that they probably had conversations with one another, while the man of the cloth was behind the podium and the choir sang away.
However, there came a time I opted to leave the padded pew of the brick and mortar building and take seat on a granite boulder somewhere within nature.
I believe I became somewhat like John Muir in my belief that we can find the presence of the divine in nature.
While sitting on a granite boulder the sky becomes the auditorium and the music of the river becomes the choir. Here I sit anytime I want - not just a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, and talk with God at my time of choosing. The conversations are more frequent than most would think, when most that know me... think about me.
My conversations, my worship, my prayers, bring me peace and fulfillment. Nature has become my church and as any good elder, any good deacon, any good steward... I try and take good care of my church.
So, if you see me on the river sitting on the boulder with the fly fixed to the guide of the rod, and my head gently bent down... just give me a few moments undisturbed.
And, then there will be fly fishing again.
2 comments:
Love this post. While I still find my cheeks in the seats of my church on Sundays, I too have found the worship service of fly fishing on the Blue and other rivers. There is no greater place to be to get away from the distractions and noise of the world and find His presence, than casting out a fly on a beautiful stretch of water.
Yes sir! It is the only time I find myself at peace.
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