Four Non-Fishing Articles That Inspired Me in 2023
I’ve been reading since I was 4 years old and my love of the written word – both producing and consuming it -- has been a driving force in all of my life’s greatest and happiest moments. Obviously, a lot of what I read and write concerns fishing, but as I’ve indicated before my taste is more far-ranging than that.
Here are four articles that I read in 2023 that inspired me and that I think are consistent with the messages that we try to push forward at Half Past First Cast.
It’s okay to suck when you try something new
Money Line: “Although sucking feels uncomfortable, we shouldn’t shy away from activities we enjoy simply because we aren’t great at them.”
Second Money Line: “Feeling challenged isn’t a weakness, it’s an opportunity.”
How This Relates to Fishing: I’ll always love bass fishing. It’s a core part of my identity and my life, and my noggin retains a lot of information about it. Nevertheless, my greatest thrills as an angler have come in places like Alaska and Panama, where I knew next to nothing about what I was doing. It’s ok to step back and try new things – actually, it’s vital to leading a meaningful life. Comfort is in some respects your enemy.
I am dying at age 49. Here’s why I have no regrets.
Money Line: “I have never had a bucket list; instead I said ‘yes’ to life”
Second Money Line: “But I’ve learned that life is all about a series of moments, and I plan to spend as much remaining time as I can savoring each one, surrounded by the beauty of nature and my family and friends. Thankfully, this is the way I’ve always tried to live my life.”
How This Relates to Fishing: I hope that I’m this stoic when my death is within sight. The author, Amy Ettinger, is clear that she’s experienced a full range of understandable emotions at her unfair fate, but ultimately you cannot change the way you lived your life. Make sure that when you get to that point you don’t have unreasonable regrets.
No More Spring Trainings
Money Line: “I have a sailboat, so I just want to sail away.”
Second Money Line: “Playing professional baseball is a kind of drug. When you retire, you have to find another high. The drug that John found was being in the middle of nowhere and keeping himself alive. That first storm didn’t scare him away. He liked getting caught in it.”
How This Relates to Fishing: It’s easy to get caught up in other peoples’ dreams and expectations – and to put your own happiness off to the side. If making money makes you happy, that’s great, pursue the hell out of it, but if funds are only a means to an end, you need to recognize that. You can always make more bucks, but you can’t create more time out of thin air.
He lived a quiet life — then donated $3.8 million to his small N.H. town
Money Line: “He liked his world, and he liked to be in charge of it. And by keeping it small, he was.”
Second Money Line: “Holt’s will instructed that the money be used to benefit the town’s education, recreation, health and culture initiatives.”
How This Relates to Fishing: You don’t have to be a billionaire, or a celebrity, or a Bassmaster Classic champion, or a professional athlete to have a meaningful life, and a significant impact on the world around you. All of us have the means and the ability to do something with a positive impact, and while it may be ok to take credit for it, the real givers don’t care about the notoriety as much as the effects.
