Empty Rivers, Feeding Fish, and Self Care

As a fishing guide I have a hard time arguing when folks tell me Ive got it easy.  When I consider the daily lives of others; especially my customers and clients who range from blue collar philosophers (Im thinking of a particular plumber), to professional class doctors, lawyers, and investment bankers,  to the folks  climbing the ladder at giant corporate monoliths, grinding  it out daily in the stale air of an office building in a nearby metropolitan area; I realize I have little to complain about and a great deal to appreciate about my chosen “career path.”

With that disclaimer out of the way, I am still a small (very small) business owner and face some of the same challenges that the guy or gal running a not so small operation might encounter.  I began to think more this morning (not always the best idea, but I digress), and what came to mind was a question of what qualities are important in a fishing guide?  If I were looking to hire another guide,  someone who I could send out on the water and know that they will not only come back with a happy customer, but also with information to consider;  I would look for someone  with the ability to recognize information,  download said information, and then use critical thinking and deductive reasoning to come up with at least a hypothesis, if not an answer, for any challenging situation they might have encountered during the day.

I followed this stream of consciousness and  my thoughts turned to why am I looking at feeding fish and empty rivers.  As I drove up the Davidson this morning (an often very busy river) I was struck by the lack of cars in parking spaces, the lack of anglers on the water.  When I walked down to the water I was struck by the number of bugs and feeding and rising fish.  Here at the best time of year, where is everyone?  An earlier conversation with a friend (he owns a dental practice) floated into my thoughts as the mist floated down the river valley.

In the replay of this conversation I found my answer, everyone is working.  The past few years have been a boom and we are now seeing the brakes slowly being applied.  Those of us with businesses and practices are preparing. There are others who rely on us, we have to make sure every thing is done, and we have to prepare ourselves for the grind that is coming.  We have to somehow find an answer for maintaining, sustaining, and justifying  the growth that we were recently blessed with.  Those of us climbing the corporate ladder are seeing the first signs of cuts, we know that next quarter’s earnings have to be better, and if not then the losses must be justified and forward guidance may mean the trimming of fat.

It’s not money that we are currently short on, it is time.  We must do more with less, put in more hours, rack our brains for answers and edges in an uncertain future.  We have others that depend on us and we must some how progress with fewer resources in a more difficult climate.

It is odd how similar this is to a fishing trip.  I don’t think I’m the first to recognize that fishing is a metaphor for…well, everything.  Jesus Christ himself went fishing when he was looking for help.  Unfortunately for him he wound up meeting a bunch of ne’re-do-well fishermen which (along with his politics) eventually got him killed, but you get my point.

When answers are hard to find, when challenges seem insurmountable, when control has been wrestled from you, when the future is anything but certain, when others depend on you to be your best and what you really need is a bit of self care so that you can be your best;…go fishing.  Seek other challenges, rest your mind by changing its focus, feel cold water against your skin, breathe air not pumped through an HVAC system, be physically uncomfortable so that you can be mentally strengthened.  ‘

Take the time, because once it’s spent you can’t make more of it.  Take the time, especially when the rivers are empty and the fish are feeding.