Deanna,

I agree with Randy. That is one of many great "writings" from you. It made me think about my fly fishing and answered a question that has always "bugged" me and that was why some would consider a fly fisher who can honestly state that they enjoy their days on the water all by themselves. There are some people who feel I am a "snob" or "stick in the mud" person when I decide that I want to take a day by myself and go fly fishing. I do not know how to explain to them that I am not really "by myself". I am in a world that is void of humans and I need those days at times and I am not really by myself. I become the river, the wild flowers, the wind, the sounds and all other living things that are in this other world. The difference between the "living things" in this world and those that contain humans is that the "living things" put no demands on me, don't depend on me to make sure they have a great time and put no limits on how long I can stay and how far I can explore. When I am the only human in this "other world" I feel like the early explorers just discovering what is around me. It is such a great feeling. When by myself, I see things that may only happen once a day on a river and I was the only human there to see it on that particular day. Sometimes I will capture the moment with my camera and sometimes I would rather just keep the image in my mind to enjoy and fear sharing it with others with a picture may spoil the spot by others wanting to see it and bringing all their friends with them. How do I explain that some of those experiences are not meant to be shared with "many" people. During these "by myself" fishing trips I know I am going through the motions of fly fishing, but, not really aware of where the fly is and have allowed my mind and eyes to absorb my surroundings as though, for a moment, I am not a "human" but part of the great surroundings. It is during these times that sometimes I will be brought back to reality by the disturbance of a "rise" and then I am aware that I am suppose to be fly fishing. I will fish that "rise" and if I do all things right, I will catch the fish. When I do I always tell the fish, before releasing it, that it was not my fault that it got caught because the fish gave its location away by rising where I could see it. There are times when someone is with me and we are walking up the river bank to the next spot to fish that I notice they walk past things like wild flowers, a squirrel, a mink, an otter and other amazing things and never notice them. How can anyone not stop long enough to enjoy these things and let these things "burn" into their memory so that they can relive them later? How did they miss this "happening"? I think they miss these "happenings" because they have left their minds in the "human's" world and they have not become a part of their surroundings. What a shame because they are missing some great "happenings". Maybe they are only thinking about the "catching" and not the fishing and if that is the case, they are missing the most exciting part of fly fishing and that is the surroundings.

They say that the practice of Yoga teaches you to let your mind block out the surroundings of the world and helps you to experience the peace of another world and maybe, just maybe that is what fly fishing needs to be about. I know it works for me and I just love that feeling and my surroundings.

Sorry for the long post. I think I slipped into the "living world" of my mind and started to reliving it again and THAT is what my fly fishing is all about.