I picked up a couple of fishing lures today. Not surprisingly, there were a few life lessons in the two packages, each that held an artificial frog.

Have Something That is More Than a Hobby….blessed are the makers of peace

One definition of hobby is thus: “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.” I encourage you to find something that brings you more than relaxation – something that brings you peace. I have been fortunate to have several activities that bring relaxation, but I would not necessarily consider them all hobbies; those that bring peace are fewer in number. Making black-and-white photographic prints in the darkroom was one such thing; sigh. That lasted for 22 years and then tapered off thanks to career changes and the advent of digital photography. Fishing, however, has been lifelong and will continue to play a role in peace making. Whether for minutes or hours that I fish, there will be peace. Guaranteed. The days of frequent fishing are past, but not the love of the activity and the peace it brings. What do you have the provides the same?

Have Memories to Dust Off…make memories for others to dust off years or decades from now

Some of my earliest memories involved fishing with my dad, or mom and dad, or mom and dad and grandmom. Fishing was part of living. Not that we fished all the time, but the times were so good, so rich, so beloved that fishing became part of my childhood and my memories, and my life. There were times fishing mom and dad; hikes to fish in creeks and bayous with my childhood friends; adventures with my pals in high school and college years…and then the chance to share fishing times with a son, then two and then three. One of the chapters in my book, Daddin’:  The Verb of Being a Dad, is titled “Fishin’.”  Now, all three are involved with fishing with their kids (or nieces and nephews).  Again, not an all-consuming activity like youth sports or school events, but enough to be a special seasoning to life. All fishing trips create memories, for the experienced fishermen and the young’uns who are learning. Who are you helping create memories that they will pass along, too?

Have a Lot of Some Things That Give You Joy, Even if You Don’t Need Them…joy is better than happiness

I have a lot of fishing lures, but not what I would consider a “collection.”  Collections are to be preserved. The lures I have are to be used, catching fish or caught in trees, lost in tussles with fish or submerged logs. Some are well used and have been for years, and some have not, and may not ever see the light of day or the wetness of water…and that’s okay. A few sit on a bookshelf, having earned the safety because of their role in memory making. Some can be found in plastic lure holders that represent different eras of fishing, such as the saltwater years with my dad or the saltwater years with my youngest son, or the freshwater years with my three sons, or…and so on; they are like time capsules that release a flood of memories and stories when opened. Though I had seen a couple of lures in my dad’s wooden tackle box (made by his dad), he and I did not get hooked (pun intended) until the mid-‘60s when we learned of Abu-Garcia in-line spinners from the son of the man whose farm’s stock tank we were fishing; we had caught a few on minnows and he had caught a couple of dozen on lures. From that moment on, dad and I both enjoyed purchasing, experimenting with, and using lures. Suffice it to say, a lifelong pattern was set. There are so many stories to share just around the role of fishing lures in my memories. The lures of various colors, shapes, sizes and purposes bring me joy, partly because of the memories and partly because of the anticipation of the day that they’ll be used and might be found in the lip of fish that I am holding while grinning “like a donkey eating cactus,” as my dad would say. See, more memories. One definition of joy states, “A source of enjoyment or rejoicing; that which causes gladness or happiness.” It is not happiness, though it can cause it. Rejoicing…something we need more of. Happiness is conditional while joy is a condition, a state of being. Do you have a lot of something that you have acquired over the years that brings you joy?