It seemed only fitting that I title these few words ‘Inspirations’ as it has taken me quite a bit of unwinding from the last few weeks to get a sense of normal back into my life. There were aspects of this time that I just wanted to scream ‘Stop the World’. Mostly it had to do with the Class of ’57 reunion. There is something about seeing folks at 70 or more that you knew at 17 or before that is awesome. The sparkle in the eye, the curve of the smile, it is all the same – but the wisdom that comes out in conversation is something that has to be experienced. We would like to think we haven’t changed. In many ways we haven’t. We are older and just by coming together we risk showing each other than time marches on. There isn’t one of us who hasn’t had our share of life’s challenges, heartaches, and, of course, joys. To be able to share those with folks who have cared about each other for all these years and be accepted for just who we are is inspirational.
Last week Pete and I took our first trip out with the canoe since his dreadful fall in July left him unable to move well and surely not go fishing. We chose a lake that is very easy to lauch the canoe in to but has a reputation for being hard to fish. Imagine my thrill when after just a few hours of casting my fly I felt the ‘big hit’. This lake is a catch and release lake and we have often laughed and said – a very early release. That means we lost the fish off the hook. I wanted so badly to net this big guy. He jumped and fought and I was nearly dizzy trying to keep the line with enough slack but still get him close enough to net. Pete is a super coach and net the wonderful trout I did. We got all the pictures we wanted and let the beautiful fish go. So why does this paragraph fit under inspirations?? Because on our last day out the camera fell in the lake. I have nothing to prove I caught this great trout. And if that isn’t enough inspiration to get me out to try again, nothing is.