I watched a few men fishing in a stream which was being widened. During the fifteen minutes I watched them casting the net three times only to gather leaves and debris in the net! In a conversation, one of them told me that they were not disappointed in not getting fish as it was an exercise to keep their interest and skills alive. I was inspired by their attitude. The task in itself was interesting to them that the outcome was a bonus!
I liked watching them because of the way the net spread out to fall into the water surface and the way the ripples created expanded in two big circles, which faded away at the edge of the water.! Theirs was an artistic performance of holding the net in hand and casting it into the air to allow it to fall widely spread out on the water surface. Following this, in a few minutes they would pull the net to the shore! I noticed their disappointing faces, but after clearing the leaves and debris from the net, they kept doing it again. They were at it for one hour, although did not catch any fish.
It looked strange to me that they persisted. They honed their skills this way.
There was something to learn from this for me.
I am at a stage of preparing to close the professional part of my life. I sometimes have wondered whether forty years of clinical work have yielded enough to feel fulfilled. That to me became a question of lesser significance after I watched these men giving themselves to fishing, even when they caught nothing.
They pursued their interest. The rest was not in their hands.
That insight helped me to shift my focus to doing what I am able to do and feel good about it!
I hesitated for a while to pause to watch the fishing, while driving back home. I was glad that I stopped... I gained a life lesson from these men; it stays with me to ponder on!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
