Gone fishin'

Don't ask me why this came to me today. Someone told me that there is going to be a full moon tomorrow and with the way our computers have (not) been working today, who knows that I was thinking. Rock gets nervous when I say those words..."so, I've been thinking..." I think, "uh oh" comes out of her mouth. Like, me thinking is a bad thing? Really? Seriously? Yes, some of our conversations actually sound exactly like that. Ok, back to this. So, I was thinking today about fishing. When you go fishing, you stick your line out over the water and put your line (with some yummy bait) into the water with one intention...to get a fish. Fishing is a game of patience and luck and nothing else...there is no real skill, I don't care what the "Pro" fishermen tell you. They can use their fancy boats, and their "fish locator GPS devices" all they want. Friendship is kind of like fishing, but we don't have fancy tools and gadgets. People will sit on the dock or in a boat and wait to see if they get a bite. They take a chance that putting this thin string into a deep dark pool of water will give them something in return. How silly do we feel when we put our line into a stream or river, only to find out that there are no fish there? So, what do we do? We pull our line out and go searching for another place to fish. Nothing gets us as excited than when we get a little nibble and a little pull back on the line that affirms for us - "something is there!" So we stay a little longer, hoping that the fish comes back to get more. And sometimes, they do. And then it becomes a little game of tug-of-war. There is some frustration when the fish we worked so hard to keep on the line, breaks the line (heartbreak) or just swims away (not vested enough). That happens with friends. Some stay for a short time, some stay longer than others, and some stay forever. Here is the thing - we never know when we need to go fishing, so we have to have our pole with us at all times. We always have the bait (us), but we need to be ready. We never know when a new friend is just around the corner, is a smile away, or just simply walks past your office one day. Your life can be changed forever when you catch the "right" fish. And you have to learn to identify the fish based on what they mean to you...understanding that they will change as you change. But you have to be willing to stick your line in the water...even if you are not sure that you will get a bite back. Even if there is not something there to bite back. Be patient and the right, bestest ever kind of fish will come along. Go fishing!! I have been very patient...waiting for the bestest fish ever, and now I've got one...hook, line, and sinker.