The Balance

Plenty of us know the feeling. You’ve been working all week, sometimes pulling extra shifts, and your one day off is coming up. All you can think about is getting the kayak in the water, and getting fish in the kayak! And then somehow, inevitably, something gets in the way.

Whether it’s a doctors appointment, errands, chores, or any other obligation, we all have responsibilities outside of fishing. And sometimes you can push them aside and worry about them when you get back from being on the water. But more often than not, they need to be handled asap.

I’m learning this. That’s what brings this topic up. And the more I think about this “balance”, I realize that it really is no balance at all. It’s life.

I have to just stop and tell myself that it’s not just me. It’s every man and woman that loves to fish, but doesn’t get to do it full-time (and even they have to deal with obligations that keep them off the water).

So, this post is mostly just me taking a breath and telling myself that it’s okay, the fish are still gonna be in the water, and in the meantime there’s forums and videos that I can watch to “keep my line wet” (har, har, har… sorry!).

And lastly, another part to this “balance” that’s not really a balance is family. My wife and son are everything to me. I thank God every day for them. And I’m blessed because my wife deals with my addiction to kayak fishing better than I could ever hope for. So when she asks me to spend a day off with her instead of going fishing, I owe her my time and attention. It’s the least I can do when she hardly ever tells me that I can’t go drive two hours into the middle of nowhere with my plastic boat.

Fishing is great, but family comes first. Always. And family is a blessing, don’t let anything ever ruin it.

Okay, I’m done with this less-than-fun post. Back to your normally programed Bayou Yakin blogging momentarily…