Annihilate The Angler

I read a insightful quote the other day,

“ Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.” – Pema Chodron When Things Fall Apart

And it got me to thinking.

Fishing is a relentless exploration of one’s self. The journey from American cheese bluegill slayer to backwater Amazonian Arapaima Ninja with Jeremy Wade of River Monsters, is a long and challenging one. It is a constant uncovering of what is within when it comes to your ultimate skill, knowledge and patience.

But one cannot figure out these ultimate embodiments without the consistent presentation of new challenges. Challenges that are meant to make you discover, contemplate and fail.

I am a dry fly fisherman. I love it with all my fishy being. I love it so much I would go as far as saying a day fishing anything other than a dry fly is not much fun.

But I realize this is my subconscious asking me to stay comfortable. It demands of me to get the dopamine hit in the easiest most reliable way, based on its past experiences. My brain doesn’t know anything about streamer success on giant fish, or the whales lurking beneath waiting for my size #24 nymph. So it carries on.

Anything that stands in the way of my dry fly addiction, is just noise. And noise makes me angry, frustrated and disappointed in the day.

But it is in these events that I know I grow. I have to “annihilate” the current fisherman to find that next level. And annihilation only comes from break through and failure.

#ThisIsAboutFishing #ThisIsNotAboutFishing