Feel-good Friday: The Fly-Fishing Edition

A weekend in VT with friends? Yes, please.

Young Dad, in his happy place.

No, I don’t really fish…but my dad did. When we were kids we used to go fishing with him sometimes. not so much because I loved fishing, but because I loved my dad, and took any chance I had to spend time with him. There was something magical about the world when Dad was in his element. Quiet. Patient. (So patient.). Strong. (So so strong.) And happy. (So so so happy.) When I was with him I understood the natural order of things—the vastness and the command of nature and of the universe, while at the same time feeling like Dad and I were the only two people in that expanse, which actually didn’t feel expansive at all when I was with him. It felt small. Cozy. Perfect.

He was so fastidious, but he also didn’t give a shit. He was organized beyond comprehension. He would get the boat off the trailer and into the water before I could climb out of the station wagon. He could catch and filet and cook a trout on his Coleman stove in seemingly one motion.

I have an affinity for fishing…and for people who have the same oneness with nature that my dad had and who enjoy fishing in the same way he did. I also have an affinity for my friends…and some of them happen to be both true sportspeople and the masterminds behind a tourism revolution in their town. So it’s no surprise that I’m heading to the Green Mountain State for the 2nd Annual Battenkill Fly Fishing Festival, in support of one of their signature events. (There recently was a story in The Boston Globe about their efforts, and you can find it here.)

So I feel good about the weekend, because already I’m feeling closer to my dad even thinking about it…but also because I’m looking forward to seeing friends, to being part of a community, and to supporting their efforts. Plus, as a life-long New Englander, my time spent in VT is disproportionately low relative to the other NE states and so I’m looking forward to balancing that out a bit and also to being someplace new.

Nana was NOT going to be happy if you didn’t send this back. 🤣

Other things I am feeling good about this fine Spring Friday are:

• Helping my sister and my niece get packed and moved out of her dorm at Northeastern and then getting everything stored at my mom’s before she went back to MI for the summer. It was great having her here for the academic year and in the one day/night my sister was here we were able to squeeze in a lot, including a salad from Brothers and pizza at Denly’s with a crowd—my mom, my B-I-L, two nephews, and a nephew’s GF. Weymouth foodie dreams. We didn’t see a ton of my niece but we saw her more than when she was in MI. It’s been nice feeling our relationship evolve…and it’s been awesome observing her, because she loves NU…and Boston.

• My leisurehood drawing to a close. For a number of practical reasons, it had to end, and given the reality of the situation, I can’t see it concluding any better. I’ll have a fun weekend, and then on Monday I will hit the ground running. It is kinda weird to be starting a fully remote job but I am ready for the structure, ready to make and impact, and feel really good about my decision to pursue nonprofit leadership for my (hopefully) final career chapter. I feel good about feeling good about it and that’s that.

I hope you have something to feel good about today. As always, I feel good about this time together, and appreciate you being here with me so much. Have a great weekend.

Love you too.