I was nervous. I am not going to lie.
My first fly tying class. Initiation into the dark arts of fly fishing.
I am not sure why I was nervous. Everyone else in this class was new to this craft, so I wasn’t going to stand out. We were all equals.
Maybe it was my wallet yelling out at me, “uh sir, haven’t you heard from all the other fly tyers you know that this is not a good way to save money on flies?! It is an expensive hobby and we do have a family to feed.”
That is a valid point, but not worthy of nerves before even trying it.
Or maybe it was that only old people tie flies? Am I getting old? Fuck… I am old now.
None of these were reasons that I was nervous. And I knew it walking in.
I knew it before I even picked up the phone to sign up for the class.
I knew it 18 months ago, when I first found out about it, and put it off as something I would do one day.
In fact, I knew it was the exact thing that had held me back for years.
The fear was: I was afraid of meeting new people.
I have always described this as a bit of extra friction to the friend making process. Before I ever arrive on site, I start running through thoughts like “what am I going to say? It is going to be so awkward during those first few moments when we walk in. Small talk sucks.”
Like I said, I had thought about doing this class for a while. The longer I waited the more of a challenge it became.
But building a network doesn’t just happen. Learning a new skill doesn’t just happen. The fly fishing gods will not take pity on you.
You have to put yourself out there.
So I made the call and signed up. Paid my dues and there was no turning back.
Flashback to today, nervously walking into the class. I found my seat. We all awkwardly stared at the instructor, not saying anything. Then I broke the silence like stepping on an ice shelf along side the river. “So, what are we tying today?”
The dam broke. It gave permission to everyone to speak.
I realized in that moment that we all feel that way in new situations. We are all debating how we are going to “open” a conversation. And while I don’t have any great pointers, I can tell you what doesn’t work – not opening.
It all worked out. By the end of class we were all laughing and reveling in one another’s fishing war stories.
I learned two things that class: how to tie the “Woolly Worm” and to just break the ice open.
