Praying for Trout?
From my article this week:
In the course of my years of fly fishing, I have probably spoken dozens of prayers while on the stream. When the sun was well below the horizon, and there was just enough light to tie on one more fly, I said to myself: ?Please let one more trout rise.? When the rain clouds were forming, and it looked like my day of fly fishing was going to be cut short, I may have whispered: ?Just a little longer, please.? And of course, when the trout were not biting, and every cast and every fly was ineffective, I might have said out of frustration: ?Come on, just one bite.?
As The Fly Fishing Rabbi, sometimes people ask me if my prayers for trout to rise are answered more readily than those of everyone else. I think not. I?m just as likely to get rained on, or to lose my fly in the dark or not to catch a single fish as anyone.
As I thought about praying on the stream, I asked myself: What should we pray for when fly fishing? Is there such a thing as a blessing for fly fishing?
There are prayers that are good for fly fishing, and they are prayers of thanksgiving. Ironically, I am more likely to say a prayer of thanks when I am not catching fish. When the water is silent, and I cannot get a bite, and I am not too frustrated, then I sometimes take a moment to look around. I watch the river flow by. I feel the breeze. I smell the pine needles.
When I see the beauty of nature, I ask myself: How did such an amazing earth come to be? What did I do to deserve to live in such a beautiful place? Feelings of awe, connection and humility come to me. And then I am led to a simple response: ?thank you.? Saying ?thank you? when fly fishing is to acknowledge that this earth we live on is a gift. Saying ?Dear God, thank you? when on the stream is to offer up a prayer.
Rabbi E
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Originally Posted by chavez
