Blue

November 7, 2020

I had had enough, and Melissa encouraged me to get out of the house and go fishing.  She suggested a lake in the nearby mountains.  I decided I would start in that direction and decide where to end up.  I admit, I missed the first fishing turnoff and when I got to the second, I thought it was before the first.  In other words.  I was on my way to Blue Mesa.  I resigned myself to the inadvertent decision because that was where I really wanted to fish anyway.

One of the interesting things I find about fishing is collecting all the miscellaneous “stuff” left by previous anglers.  That includes the things I have left behind being collected by other anglers.  One of our best finds has been “Big Blue.”  I found this 52-ounce cup on a riverbank in Kansas.  Melissa made fun of me for keeping it, but it has become an invaluable resource in our tackle box.  I generally fill the cup with ice and then complete the fill with water to provide a thirst quench during the day.  Big Blue has come through on many hot summer days.

As a fisherperson, I too am superstitious.  While on the way to the outlet tubes, Big Blue spilled to the floor when a made a sharp turn just prior to the park entrance.  That obviously meant I was jinxed.  When I pulled in, I saw the water out of the tubes was high even though we had not been getting rain.  Again, I was jinxed.  I decide to try it any anyway.  I quickly lost the plastic worm I was fishing on the rocks on the bottom.  Jinxed.    I finally decided to throw a bobber in the eddy at the outlet and quickly caught four fish (not jinxed?).  I was expecting a call, so I checked my cell phone and found I was out of range.   I moved to another location within cell range.  Thankfully, I still caught fish.  Despite the start, it was a good day.

Thoughts:  I have been blue on several days throughout the pandemic.  Even though we are no longer closed, I am reluctant to go out unless I need to.  Other times (like yesterday) I go out because it is essential for my wellbeing.  One thing about fishing is it is outside and the places I frequent are generally remote with few people.  While I am not a People Person, occasionally being confined in the house causes me to crave interaction.  Many technical and administrative workers have shifted to working online from home.  It gives me pause to wonder if this is not creating a further divide between management and the essential in-person workers.  Issues of safety and economic disparity in the workplace has changed during the pandemic.  The divide will continue to widen until we make a conscious effort to bring change.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.