As we wind into the last few weeks of this rather upside down and crazy year, that appears to only get even crazier. I can’t help but reflect on the absolute shitshow it’s been for just about everybody. I mean, the thought of a pandemic and how it would change my normal course of life never for once crossed my mind until it happened. We were told to shelter in place and not travel unecessarily yet were pushed to get outside as it was good for us overall; doubletalk at it’s finest.
Hiking trails, parks and unfortunatley fisheries were overrun with people this year, cuz you know, “get outside” leaving many of us scratching our heads saying WTF as a key component of this get outside push was left out; the travel to and from. Maybe this just buys into the overall message of 2020 is we are flooded with a plethora of mixed messages that frankly often don’t quite make sense. If this year was a billboard, it would light up with, “Welcome To 2020, The Year of Mixed Messages”. My life’s motto now more than ever resonates in my head daily, reminding me to keep it simple, yet I find things are repeatedly complicated and unclear. Coincidently, the simplicity in my life always seems to revolve around time spent wading a river or turning bugs in the shop, and those two things aside from a solid dose of sweat and an elevated heart rate after a good hazing in my gym seem to be the cure to all the madness.
Politics has been front and center all year, as has hate and discontent, extreme views thrust into every aspect of the connected world if you choose to pay attention. Dave from Southern Culture On The Fly recently hit the nail on the head in the recent issue, “We can have absolutely zero respect for each other’s opinions, while still having a great deal of respect for each other in every other way”. I don’t think being locked up inside all day in the four walls of our houses helped that much, a bump in screen time can quickly get the blood pressure elevated. If you want a good laugh, I highly recommend reading through the entire issue as there is some absolute gold in there with a rather humorous piece on fly fishing films that failed, trust me, you’ll thank me later.
Maybe that getting outside message was right after all? But only for me and the short list of people I like to fish with mind you, the rest of you should go take up golf, trail running or some other outdoorsy thing that keeps you off the river. You know I was kidding, well only partially, as I know many of you had more days this season where you found yourself talking under your breathe after you pulled into the fifth or sixth best spot you’d like to fish only to find it occupied by another group of people with the same idea; I am certain you can relate as it echoed amongst anglers daily.
Although our rivers and streams might have been a bit more crowded this year, it inevitably forced those who were willing to fish in some new places, walk a little further to find that solitude and most of all push us all a little outside our “comfort zones”. Accepting the notion that there are more like minded people out there who like the same thing is often a tough pill to swallow in a relatively selfish hobby, but if it were to give us all a lesson on life, it clearly paints a picture that many of us not only have similar interests, but quite possibly aren’t as awful as we are being told we are.
It seems that many endured some sort of loss this year whether it was a job, pet, loved one or everything for that matter, but we all seemed to be in tune with this more than before and all had a story of loss that many could relate to on some level or another. I am hopefull that the new year brings less of that but only time will tell, and at this juncture Covid is spiking big time as that second predicted wave is running wild.
The one thing that I was able to catch up on was documentaries and all those multi-seasonal shows that all my friends raved about, yet I was always months or even years behind on ever watching. Television shows have fallen way down on the priority list, pretty much the basement if you were to construct my priorities like a freshly built house. So the addition of a small television in my shop as white noise as I turn thread every day has been both good and bad. If anything, I enjoy documentaries and history most, and you’ll never find me watching that garbage train of reality television. There’s nothing reality about most of it, kind of like where social media has established itself as the breeding grounds for everybody to monetize everything and built a counter culture of what is now termed the “influencer”.
I won’t dive into that rabbit hole again, I have already been there before, but what 2020 has taught me is you need to find that social media “platform” (ya I said that overused word) that works for you. I guess I have finally realized what social media feed I can live with, and the ones that I cannot. From this point forward you will only find anything from this business on Instagram. Even though there is a higher level of fodder there than when it first came to fruition, I still like the idea that everything is based around a picture. Seems to be more in line with my simplicity motto. Watching the worst unfold this year in others on many of the other “platforms” made this decision rather easy. Couple that with the movie the Social Dilemma and I was sold (highly recommend watching that one).
So what does this all mean you might ask? 2020 overall has been a real direction changing experience to say the least, but has given some clarity and focus that I think has already resonated on every facet of my simple life. Do what makes you happy, trim the fat from your life, and be yourself. I am fairly certain that this “platform” that I have neglected will now be recharged and more active, as I have gotten the writing bug back. I caution the reader however, it might not all be solely about fishing, it very well may have so much more. See you on the water, I’ve crossed paths this year with many of you out there already.
Be well,
Rich Strolis