Monday, February 6, 2012

Fellow Fisher - All Tied Up in Knots?

By Marsha Jenkins


Each respectable fly fisherman is supposed to be proficient in tying all the suitable knots. When I try to use my finger to tie the "nail knot" it gets caught every single time. The old trustworthy "clinch knot" somehow becomes a slip knot. Now what type of knot do I use to tie the fly onto the tippit?

How about the Palomar? Shucks, I could tie that in my sleep...if I could only locate what occurred to the fly. Ouch, it got stuck in my finger! And so it goes with bird nests in the line, hung up on a branch, what is next? I can't count the times I have almost lost my religion trying to get the end of a practically invisible fly line by way of the appropriate loop with the right twist.

Pardon me, if I see a close parallel amongst fishing and moral dilemmas. Do you ever really feel all tied up in knots by the thunderous negatives of your moral code? "THOU SHALT NOT..." Fellow fisher I have located the fishing far better when I replace "thou shalt not," with "thou shalt."

Read your Fishing Manual: for every single negative prohibition there is a positive affirmation. The Fisherman of Galilee taught us to accentuate the positive even if we cannot remove the negative. "Thou shalt enjoy your neighbor as yourself." Oh yes, there are instances when we require to slam the door of temptation with a decisive "no". Trust me, I was a perfectionist too long, trying to cross all the "T"s and dot all the "I"s. I know from knowledge how binding that can be.

You know what I've decided, colleague of the catch? I'm going to lubricate my line with a positive attitude. When I discover myself spiraling down into negativism you know what I do? Thought you would in no way ask: I take a kid fishing the old fashioned way, with a bobber and a worm. My concern is not just to catch fish but to make it a enjoyable time for the youngster with snacks and stories.




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