It was the last day of the Trout
fishing season in Wisconsin, so my good friend, Scott, and I decided to take
advantage of the beautiful autumn day and go fly fishing. The plan was to go
immediately after church. We both had our gear ready and waiting in our
vehicles. Once the church service ended I swiftly got out of the pew, kept my
head down, and made my way to the back of the sanctuary for a subtle exit. Wouldn’t
you know it, someone had a question about the church’s heating system. After spending
a bit more time than planned, we finished the heating system tour. As I headed
toward the exit, another guy stopped me and had a question about tools he wanted
to borrow. I kept the conversation to a minimum until finally, there was a
clear path to the exit. I joined Scott outside, we loaded his gear into my
truck and we were finally our way.
Scott had a secret spot we hadn’t
fished before and he wanted to start the day there. He has a lot of secret
spots and thankfully never blindfolds me while in route…maybe because I’m
driving.
As we pulled up to the secret
spot there was a vehicle already parked there. Hmm, some secret spot, I thought
to myself. In addition to the vehicle, the shore leading to the bank of the
river was covered with “No Trespassing” signs. We headed further down river to
another secret spot. The next location looked perfect; the sun was shining on
the water, making each ripple look like twinkling stars. We geared up and hit the
river bank. The fishing was pretty tough; there were plenty of trout in this
river, however they weren’t attacking our flies liked we wanted. Over several
hours a half dozen trout were landed, photographed, and then released back.
Since the fishing was slow, my
attention drifted to other things around me. (Side note, I collect agates,
which I consider as just another of the many ways to enjoy the outdoors.) While
maneuvering the bank of the river I was looked down to check my footing and
there it was…an agate. I scooped it up and tucked it into my vest.
The day seemed to be filled with
opportunities that I hadn’t planned on.
Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward others, make the most of every opportunity.
