CARPE DIEM
I'm sure you are familiar with the saying: "Carpe Diem" - "Sieze the Day." Did you know that's not the whole saying?
Horace, the Roman poet wrote: "Carpe diemquam minimum credula postero." Translated as: "Seize the day, put no trust in the morrow." That is a wise standard by which a fly fisher can order his/her life.
There is a temporal nature to all earthly things. The water you fish today will not be the same tomorrow. The fish, the water, the weather are are constantly changing. Perhaps more significantly, the angler is also changing. A good fishing trip, like a good meal, a good book or a good movie, ends too soon.
Such was my experience this past week.
I traveled to Mountain Home to attend a fishing seminar led by Pat Dorsey. I arranged to meet my good friend Keith a day early to help him shop for a kayak and to get in a little fishing.
Another friend of mine pointed us to a quiet stretch of water that was said to hold some very nice trout. The water in the White River was flowing too fast to wade; but this little-known area was quieter and easier to wade.
Well, maybe.
The banks were very steep and almost completely covered with brush, vines and more tripping hazards than an obstacle course. If one could make it past the obstacles and reach the water, then one had to cast in a very awkward way to keep from hanging up in the brush along the banks. To increase the difficulty, the width of the water was only about twice the length of my rod.
I left two brand new flies in the overhanging trees. My waders developed a leak. The bottom was so soft my wading staff kept singing into the muck and getting stuck. I lost more fish than I caught.
And too quickly, it was time to leave.
Fly fishing takes a lot of hope and patience. I was hoping to catch a large rainbow trout. I was willing to ignore the obstacles. All because I might never get a chance to fish there again.
In my experience, if we shackle ourselves to the past and try to rush into an unknown future, we miss the blessings of today.
Jesus said: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Call me an eternal optimist, but when I'm fishing I prefer to think of that verse as ". . . each day is it's own blessing. Enjoy it to the fullest."
May each day be a blessing for you.
Horace, the Roman poet wrote: "Carpe diemquam minimum credula postero." Translated as: "Seize the day, put no trust in the morrow." That is a wise standard by which a fly fisher can order his/her life.
There is a temporal nature to all earthly things. The water you fish today will not be the same tomorrow. The fish, the water, the weather are are constantly changing. Perhaps more significantly, the angler is also changing. A good fishing trip, like a good meal, a good book or a good movie, ends too soon.
Such was my experience this past week.
I traveled to Mountain Home to attend a fishing seminar led by Pat Dorsey. I arranged to meet my good friend Keith a day early to help him shop for a kayak and to get in a little fishing.
Another friend of mine pointed us to a quiet stretch of water that was said to hold some very nice trout. The water in the White River was flowing too fast to wade; but this little-known area was quieter and easier to wade.
Well, maybe.
The banks were very steep and almost completely covered with brush, vines and more tripping hazards than an obstacle course. If one could make it past the obstacles and reach the water, then one had to cast in a very awkward way to keep from hanging up in the brush along the banks. To increase the difficulty, the width of the water was only about twice the length of my rod.
I left two brand new flies in the overhanging trees. My waders developed a leak. The bottom was so soft my wading staff kept singing into the muck and getting stuck. I lost more fish than I caught.
And too quickly, it was time to leave.
Fly fishing takes a lot of hope and patience. I was hoping to catch a large rainbow trout. I was willing to ignore the obstacles. All because I might never get a chance to fish there again.
In my experience, if we shackle ourselves to the past and try to rush into an unknown future, we miss the blessings of today.
Jesus said: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Call me an eternal optimist, but when I'm fishing I prefer to think of that verse as ". . . each day is it's own blessing. Enjoy it to the fullest."
May each day be a blessing for you.
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