Measure of Success

I don’t mean to write from a position of power, as though I am expert in anything at all. As a matter of fact, I have worked unknowing and with some ‘success’ I might add, at a comfortable level of mediocrity at all things related to recreating. I’m OK with that and if I might be a bit self-indulgent for a moment; comfortable in my under achiever status. I choose to look at these things through the lens of the philosophical. The birds and fish are better off.

🙂

I love excellence and appreciate it when I see it, but since a small boy–I’ve enjoyed being in the great outdoors for its own sake and am often distracted with my surroundings and own thoughts.

I friend of mine commented recently in the context of how many folks seem to look at some of these activities in field and stream in a competitive way–and often in conversation measure things that way.

Comparing dogs, guns, rods and reels and everything pertaining and then tying those things to more birds bagged or more and bigger fish caught seems inevitable. Now before you get your undies in a bunch, let me explain further. I’m all for competition. Competition is integral to the ways of the universe and since I live in the universe, I’m all for it.

I like tools that do the job that they were designed for and the better the tool, the happier I am in using it. In principle, I’m not against bagging limits, bigger trout and  or any such thing. I’m only pointing out that we generally want for better tools in order to shoot more birds or catch more and bigger fish and then we measure and compare ourselves to other folks based on those things. These things take up a lot of time and ink–and that is just dandy, but maybe we can use another measure more often and come away from a day afield pleased each time.

I reckon I’ve come the long way around the barn to get to my point, but I’m not feeling very eloquent today.

Perhaps we can compete over who ‘enjoyed’ themselves more on any given day. Perhaps the true gurus of field and stream are those that can point the way to the esoteric.

The true elite? Those that know how to enjoy. The true elite of field and stream have not been silent over the years, but the cacophony of the other aided by consumerism and those that hunger for the latest and greatest gadgetry and how best to use them, have out done them.

When the other things fade away down the darkened tunnels of memory, one can remember the look in the eyes of a bird dog, the filter of sun light through leaves of green or bright autumn, the flash of a trout in the sun and the thunderous flush of a ruffed grouse, the moldy smell of a forest floor and a bubbling fresh spring of water and how one has felt enjoying those moments.

When you’ve mastered to human potential a smooth bore and have the perfect bird dog and after you have reached the apex of all things trout with an artificial fly–when there is nothing left of those things to reach for, you can enjoy yourself all the more.

🙂 Hey–I had more fun than you did.

~ by John McGranaghan on July 24, 2010.