Why I love not catching fish when fishing.

Okay so this summer, Mike and I have taken up fishing. I used to fish with my dad and my grandpa when I was a little girl (alright let's be honest about it...they would bait the line, I would catch the fish, and then one of them would take if off the line. And if I wasn't catching anything, I was talking or walking around the boat, so neither of them could catch anything, haha.) Anyway, Mike and I bought poles this year and have taken up fishing. 
 
We decided to go out to the lake last night and try to catch "the big one". We saw them jumping and the water was perfect, but neither of us had more than a little nibble on our lines. As we were walking back to the truck, I was telling Mike how much I loved fishing, even if we didn't catch anything. In fact, I was glad we didn't catch anything (and not just because I'm still not sure how to fillet one properly). Let me try to explain the thoughts and feelings in my head about this...

Our lives are filled with things we need to "be on top of"...things we need to do, things we need to make sure happen, things we need to keep under control, and there is always something that has to be done. We live lives that demand our attention and we live in a world where we think we are the ones in control. But, that's not the case when it's just you and a fishing pole and a lake. As hard as I try, I cannot force a fish to bite. I cannot schedule a school of fish to swim by at a certain time and I am not the one who is responsible if we don't get a nibble.

Now, I know some may say "well you didn't use the right bait" or "you should have been at a different spot" or whatever, but the fact of the matter is...I don't have control over it. And it's actually so refreshing.

The simple (and sometimes frustrating) act of NOT catching anything is just the reminder I needed. I don't have as much control over things as I would like to think that I do. And it's so amazing to give myself permission to acknowledge that. To give myself permission to take in the lake, and the sunset, and the great company that I get to share it with. To not miss the moment I'm in because I'm trying to force something else to happen. To be thankful for where I am and for what I'm doing and to not miss the simple beauty that is always around.

I didn't catch anything last night...but as it turns out, it was more beneficial than I thought. And I'm glad for the gift of realizing how much I have on the end of my fishing pole...even when there's not a fish there. :-)