Fishing Buddies
Two old men driving in an early 70’s Dodge with an old v-bottom boat in the back. I assume they were heading to get a bite to eat after a morning of fishing. Two old buddies. I imagined that this was one of countless mornings that they went fishing together. What bonds must have been developed over minnows and hard candy through the years? A bond only time of presence and familiarity births. I assume that they fished all morning with minimal conversation, some small talk maybe with an occasional, momentary dip in deeper waters but basking in the satisfaction of companionship. They don’t need to talk. After 50 years together what more can be said? What more needs to be said?
I regret not following them home to ask them about the catch and how the morning was. I suppose that they would visit without any consciousness of time or responsibility. They might offer me a glass of iced tea and I would graciously accept as they started cleaning the fish. They would talk about times of past adventures and probably argue over the details. An arguing that was not for the purpose of power gained but out of a natural co-joining of thoughts, like when you rework circumstances in your mind to get the details right. I would leave after a while having listened to their stories thinking as I go, “What a work of art!” Like nature itself that God has molded, carved, painted, and shaped over time into a thing of natural beauty. Agur was stunned with amazement over “the way of a man with a maid” but I find equal amazement over the interaction of two old fishing buddies.
Recently I read some research conducted about how we connect in society. One in Four people have no close friends/confidants down from 1 in 10 from 15 years ago. That means they don’t have anyone they connect with. No one! That’s hard to believe. In society today we are so busy with our lives that we forget to live. Like retirement savings, we spend all we make assuming we’ll always be able to make it. Friendship is something we can put back for a rainy day. (And be back for a rainy day for our friend.) “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
I regret I didn’t have my camera so that I could have captured this scene. After all, it was a work of art.
After reading through my rough draft, I realized I hadn’t captured what moved me about these two old fishing buddies. I guess it was the connection that I felt between them as they drove in front of me. They never turned to each other while they drove, seemingly quiet. But I just felt it, that bond. And I desired it for myself. I envied what they had – a connection that only time and consistency can produce.
I’m reminded of a conversation me and Babe had about an old lady down the street. Her kids live far away and she for the most part is confined to the house she has raised a family, lost a son and two husbands in, and now sits in the quietness with her dog. This is a woman who used to be vibrant and active and outgoing. “What changed?” we asked ourselves with the underlying thoughts that we don’t want to end up that way. Maybe she stopped reaching out to others. Maybe when her husband died she lost her fishing buddy.
I regret not following them home to ask them about the catch and how the morning was. I suppose that they would visit without any consciousness of time or responsibility. They might offer me a glass of iced tea and I would graciously accept as they started cleaning the fish. They would talk about times of past adventures and probably argue over the details. An arguing that was not for the purpose of power gained but out of a natural co-joining of thoughts, like when you rework circumstances in your mind to get the details right. I would leave after a while having listened to their stories thinking as I go, “What a work of art!” Like nature itself that God has molded, carved, painted, and shaped over time into a thing of natural beauty. Agur was stunned with amazement over “the way of a man with a maid” but I find equal amazement over the interaction of two old fishing buddies.
Recently I read some research conducted about how we connect in society. One in Four people have no close friends/confidants down from 1 in 10 from 15 years ago. That means they don’t have anyone they connect with. No one! That’s hard to believe. In society today we are so busy with our lives that we forget to live. Like retirement savings, we spend all we make assuming we’ll always be able to make it. Friendship is something we can put back for a rainy day. (And be back for a rainy day for our friend.) “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
I regret I didn’t have my camera so that I could have captured this scene. After all, it was a work of art.
After reading through my rough draft, I realized I hadn’t captured what moved me about these two old fishing buddies. I guess it was the connection that I felt between them as they drove in front of me. They never turned to each other while they drove, seemingly quiet. But I just felt it, that bond. And I desired it for myself. I envied what they had – a connection that only time and consistency can produce.
I’m reminded of a conversation me and Babe had about an old lady down the street. Her kids live far away and she for the most part is confined to the house she has raised a family, lost a son and two husbands in, and now sits in the quietness with her dog. This is a woman who used to be vibrant and active and outgoing. “What changed?” we asked ourselves with the underlying thoughts that we don’t want to end up that way. Maybe she stopped reaching out to others. Maybe when her husband died she lost her fishing buddy.
posted by brent at 2:24 PM
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