Listen to the Birds

Happy Monday, Brothers.

This will be a short entry. Something popped out at me yesterday while editing another video for the fishing vlog.

My son was excited to go fishing last spring, and so… we made time. We went. 110% of my attention was focused on what we would use, where we would go, how we would zero in on our catch – you know, all of the things that get (and deserve) your attention on a fishing trip.

Long story short, when we arrived at the creek, it did NOT go as planned.

The water was very high. Flowing fast. You’ve probably experienced this: there is a point when wading through flowing water that the pressure lets you know… “Hey… it’s time to turn around… don’t mess with me… you will not win…“

We tried to push ahead, but quickly realized that not only was the fishing going to be terrible, things were getting dangerous and I was setting a very bad example for my son.

As fathers, we can’t do that.

We left. Went to another location. Still made a day out of it. Got McDonalds. He had fun.

It was good… but… I missed some things…

When I went back to edit the video, there was no pressure. The stress of putting the child on fish was gone, worrying about the knots and the baits and the locations and the conditions – these things were all in the past.

Watching the trip, sitting in front of a computer monitor in the office with a piping hot cup of coffee, I started to hear things I’d missed…

I heard the silly questions my son was asking me while we were walking to the creek.

(They weren’t all that silly.)

I head the wind rustling the leaves in small, sporadic bursts.

(Building from nothing to what seemed like a million tiny rattles.)

I heard the twigs snapping underfoot.

(So did the squirrels, and they noisily scampered away.)

I heard the birds.

(The birds were singing.)

Not cackling. Not screeching. Not honking.

Singing.

And it was beautiful.

The wind was beautiful.

The hike was beautiful.

The silly questions were beautiful.

Hmmm…

Didn’t notice any of this when I was in the middle of it. Just worried about “the next thing.”

Life is like that, too.

Most of us miss a lot from day to day… but maybe if we’re a bit more mindful, we’ll start to notice all of the little “in between” moments.

Yeah.

That sounds like a good goal to me.

Next time you’re out… make an effort to listen to the birds.

You’ll probably hear much, much more.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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