The 21st Century has definitely plagued the life of the leader with busyness. We find ourselves yearning for a break, some time off. We think we need rest, some sleep, or to get away. We want to slow things down in our mind and in the world that has become all too real. In essence we are yearning for peace.
When I first began to fly-fish in southern ponds and lakes, my heart longed for the mountain stream. Then came the eleven-year period of living in the Midwest where I only fished when visiting family back south. I had almost given in to the possibility that I had so romanticized the stream that it simply didn’t exist, or would never exist for me. I think it was this horrid thought that awakened me to my personal yearning for the stream. I needed peace.
In those early days of fly-fishing I went fishing to catch fish. Now, in the grip of the mountain stream, I go fishing to be at peace. The peace of the stream draws me into its presence. The presence of the stream rejuvenates my soul. It is not about stepping out of life to find peace. It is about allowing the stream to teach me about being at peace in the full spectrum of life.
