Fishing

No not phishing. Fishing. If you immediately think of Andy Griffith and Ronny Howard walking down a dirt road with whistling in the background then read on. If you think of Opie or Richie Cunningham when you think of Ron Howard then continue reading. If you are asking yourself, "Does she mean the director, Ron Howard ?" then you join billions of other people who are younger than me.   Fishing is defined as the sport or business of catching fish. Fishing. Filmmakers have acknowledged it in classics like A River Runs Through It, Grumpy Old Men, The Old Man and The Sea, Moby Dick,Finding Nemo, The Perfect Storm and On  Golden Pond. Even with the struggles of capturing the legendary fish or the biggest fish or the largest cumulative catch ,there remains a relaxing central element to fishing. There seems to be a mesmerizing call to the water to engage in fishing. Whether you are playing a sort of water chess game with the fishy opponent or casually tossing a line into the deep,this activity has something for you.As a novice or a professional,you can enjoy casting a line into the unknown.. Opportunities to breathe deeply and relax await you. For some people fishing is a form of meditation. My father was one of those individuals. My father fished well and often. He was mainly on the prowl for bass,catfish,bream and crappie. I have accompanied him to a bait shop to purchase sacrificial worms and or crickets just prior to their achieving martyrdom. I have also seen him painstakingly cook macaroni to serve as faux worms. He would boil the macaroni to a certain standard that only he could determine was appropriate for credibile worm-like appearance. Convincing fish is not easy work. The consistency had to be perfect. The imitation worms were deceptive and resulted in many a successful fishing excursion. White bread also landed on a hook or two in our family fishing. He also used the more standard lures including worms resembling what are now edibile snacks for children. Go figure. He fished in the ocean.He fished from his boat,from piers and land. He fished from the shore,the jetty, lakes and ponds. He loved to fish at a neighborhood lake. Generations of his family followed him to that lake where he would encourage their participation in his beloved sport. He smiled and laughed as the breeze wafted through his silver locks of hair. He was patient with walkers' questions and ducks' intrusion into his fishing space.If his daughters were busy applying suntan lotion instead of watching their bobbers almost take flight from the water,he remained patient. If radios brought along by unnamed family members blasted the top forty loud enough to wake fish sleeping on the ocean floor,he maintained that patience.  He was patient with everyone and everything. He was calm. In all honesty, my dad was calm all the time. But fishing was his Zen. . For others who prefer the adrenaline rush of "Fish On" or the image of their loved one being pulled over the side of a boat by an aquatic animal larger than their boat...consider deep sea fishing.This type of fishing has provided thrills and record catches for amateurs for years.Commercial fishermen and women risk their lives and bank their income on their catches.  Fly-fishing  features a disciplined repetitive method of using a fly rod or reel . It is embraced by many an angler as the singular best way to fish.Salmon,trout,striped-bass and other adversaries swim past these dedicated rivals. You can picture Huck Finn with a pole or the battered crew from Deadliest Catch to see the enormity of fishing in its entirety. Ice-fishing is an intriguing test of man/woman versus fish and man/woman versus cold. There aren't enough words in existence to describe my feelings regarding mud hole fishing. I will simply be happy for those to whom it brings happiness. One fish, two fish,red fish,blue fish.Black fish,blue fish,old fish,new fish. Even Dr. Seuss had fish on the brain. Whether a small child is attempting to catch a minnow with bare hands or someone is going on a destination fishing trip for a once-in-a-lifetime trek,the exhilaration is the same. Momentarily toss the technology aside and "rough it" void of cellphones and i-bait. Relax. My father was a very wise man. You would be wise to follow his example. To fish: defined: to search for something blindly or uncertainly. Don't we do that every day ? Whether you are fishing for answers,validation or dinner....Let the whistling begin.