In my book "A Line In The Water", I talk about meeting new fishing buddies and how much sharing the experience of fishing with someone means to me. I'm still meeting new fishing buddies every time I go fishing, but I do have a fishing buddy who has fished with me for a long time now. She doesn't touch the bait but she is by far my favorite fishing buddy!
Certain species of fish have been so over fished there are limits on the size and how many you can keep. But there is a species that is plentiful, and you can keep all you catch no matter the size, in fact the bigger the better! The happiness fish can survive in any environment and while they can be elusive at times, they are generally easy to catch if you use the right bait,and refuse to stop fishing until your cooler is full. My favorite fishing buddy and I have spent a lifetime fishing for happiness fish. Over the years, we have used several different types of bait; but found having an open mind, keeping an open heart, keeping a commitment to us,establishing an open line of communication,and plenty of laughter are the types of bait that work best. Some of our happiness fish have been huge and the struggle to get them in the boat made us realize how much we needed each other. We had to work hard to reel it in and sometimes one of us had to take a break while the other fought the fight. But in the end, we brought it in together and it was well worth it.
My favorite fishing buddy and I have been on fishing trips where we caught so many happiness fish we had enough to bring home and share with friends. Sharing our happiness fish helped us realize the importance of giving to others unconditionally and how much it pleased us to see others happy. We have also been on fishing trips where we were skunked (i.e. didn't catch any fish) when the happiness fish were just not biting. But this only reminded us every fishing trip doesn't end with happiness fish in the cooler but you have to keep fishing and get them next time. My favorite fishing buddy and I have fished together in stormy weather where strong winds and high waves threatened to capsize our boat. During these trips we had to focus more on steadying the boat than fishing, but we held the line and weathered the storm. We learned we could survive anything as long as we worked together. My favorite fishing buddy and I have caught some and we have lost some, but after over forty years, I am glad we are still fishing for happiness fish together!
NOTE: Please join me in wishing Carol V. Goff, my wife, best friend, and favorite fishing buddy, the Happiest Burfday ever!!
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