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Supposedly we spend around twelve percent of our lives
waiting. That's 'official' waiting. Things like sitting
in doctor's offices, license bureaus, attorneys, but
doesn't include traffic, standing in line at check-outs,
movies, athletic or music events - or for someone else to
do their job so you can do yours. Or waiting for a check
or other important mail to show up. I wonder how much
time all of that takes up.
Waiting is an odd thing. There are times when we 'have to
wait our turn,' I can understand that. Waiting for someone
else to do their job drives some of us a bit nuts. Probably
because we feel we're going to end up doing their job and
ours in the end. I suppose if one had all the gold in
California you could cut through some of the waiting. But
there is the unintended waiting.
Good waiting falls under anticipation. Looking forward to
a special event - a trip, an opening of a fishing season.
A get-together with friends or family. Even weddings can
be great - (I'd prefer a fishing trip, but that's just me.)
Planning for those events is half the fun, packing is fun
and just leaving to go away anywhere can occupy some good
thoughts. Oh the optimism of it all. Fly fishers are the
Eternal Optimists. It is a wonderful trait, to be envied
by those not possessing it.
My dad used to comment "All that energy wasted on youth."
But the young don't know they are wasting anything. They
just do what most young people do, whatever it is.
But if you think about it, how much time have you actually
wasted waiting?
We all couldn't wait to grow up. Get through school, college,
job, find the right spouse, marry, raise children, change jobs,
towns, (maybe spouses), for things to change (and when did
that happen?) and then wait for retirement? What?
Where did life go? It slid right by while we were waiting!
Wherever you are in the journey of your life, how are things?
Pretty good I hope? Enjoying the day-to-day life you have now?
Or just hanging in there waiting for things to get better?
How is that going to happen? "How's that workin' for you?"
What specifically are you doing to make it better now? Studying?
Expanding your contact and network base? Making yourself more
valuable to your job or making your product more valuable to the
end user? How about the way you interact and treat your co-workers?
Family? Children?
And the important one, YOU!
What are you doing to make you the person you are 'waiting' to be?
Is there some personal task you have set for yourself? A goal?
All of us involved with FAOL are fly fishers. None are perfect
(well, not me for sure) and every time I fish I learn something.
That's the way it is supposed to be. Can I improve my skills?
You bet. Fish more! I don't tie anymore, but if I was inclined
to take it up again, I think I would really like to try tying
the beautiful Atlantic Salmon Flies. Why? Because I haven't
ever done that. It would be a challenge.
What does attempting a challenge do? It increases ones overall
knowledge, appreciation, experience and as you succeed it brings
a nice satisfying feeling of accomplishment. It's good for the id.
It doesn't really matter what the challenge is. Rod building,
fly tying, leader making, learning how to do some different
casts for special situations, in the fly fishing world there
are many things you can do which will improve the quality of
your fishing experience - and more importantly improve the
quality of your life.
Those things which we become involved in outside of our work
and family world do make us better people, and as we grow as
people, just human beings, we contribute to the overall health
and welfare of our whole population. We become more of the
world. We are all 'just folks,' and perhaps because of the
common bond/thread of fly fishing which binds us all together,
we make the world better just by being fly fishers.
Today is February 19, 2006, and as I write this, the first
Hummingbird has just visited our feeder. It is a good day.
Sometimes, if you aren't watching, life can just happen
while you are waiting. ~ The LadyFisher
If you would like to comment on this or any other article please feel free to
post your views on the FAOL Bulletin Board!
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