Rookie Fishing
Blog number 2 I decided to make about fishing! Fishing is something I did as a kid. My parents would take us and what I remember was my brother and dad fishing and my mom and I sitting on a picnic blanket playing or looking at books. That’s great and I remember enjoying it, but why didn’t I get to fish!! I don’t remember.
My family and I went deep sea fishing on vacation before where I didn’t catch anything, but had a great time! This is also something I didn’t know much about. I don’t know all the types of fish, bate, equipment, etc. When I was in college, my boyfriend at the time loved to fish and I hated that I didn’t know much about it. So I started to learn. I bought a cheap rod (one of the ones that come in a small case and you have to put together) yeah, not good lol. And I tried to learn as much as possible. But again, I didn’t like doing this alone, I wanted someone there to show me. So I never took the initiative to go out and learn on my own. Youtube can only teach you so much before you have to put it into action.
I have gone fishing only about 3 times in the last 2 years, and ever time I haven’t caught a single fish. The last time I went was recently, only about a month ago. And I remember standing there by myself, had my cheap amazon waders on, using equipment that’s not mine, and crying because I was alone, casting and reeling, casting and reeling, not catching anything. I didn’t have sunglasses so it was hard to see where I was walking, I got very frustrated and overwhelmed very quickly.
I watched my current boyfriend catch fish after fish. He did help me, show me techniques to practice, and helped me feel what fishing should really feel like. I left that day feeling defeated, upset, frustrated, and I had kept saying to myself “I am not having fun”.
After every thought I had of frustration or overwhelm, I told myself “this is a learning process. it’s going to be frustrating. you can’t get better if you quit.” So I kept trying really hard to have a positive attitude. It was hard and I definitely wasn’t super excited most of the time, but I ended up enjoying my time there. It was a beautiful day, I was with the man I love, and I was learning about something I was interested in learning about.
The lesson I took from this day was hard it can be to stay positive, but that no matter what, it’s still a choice. When you are around others doing something they do all the time, and it’s something you don’t do, you can’t compare yourself to anyone else. Everyone starts somewhere and you won’t get anywhere if you continue to quit. When things get overwhelming, take a deep breath, name 3-5 things you’re grateful for and be present in the moment. The moment we feel stressed is the moment that we are letting go of the present.
