My life is my family, my dogs, and our business. I spend about every waking day either making products, planning to make products, or selling products online or in person.
Part of growing our business includes traveling to multiple day shows to sell our products and engage directly with customers. We have been successful in creating loyal (albeit small) customer base during these travels. During one of these road trips in 2021, I had three days with nothing to do 1000 miles away in Colorado. It was way too far to drive home between shows and way too expensive an area to hang out for a few days.
On impulse, I started exploring Wyoming online. After all, it is just an hour north of where I was going to be. I also was reminiscing on fishing at the lake with my father every summer. I liked the fishing part, but it was always during the hot summers around a lot of people.
"What about fly fishing?" I asked myself. After all, you don't need a boat, there aren't a lot of people in a lot of these out of the way places, and summers in Wyoming are a stark contrast to the hot summer dog days in Oklahoma.
I then spent some time on YouTube watching fly fishing videos for hours on end and soaking up all the information from the experts on the internet. Next thing I know, I'm at the local sporting goods store buying a fly rod and what I think are flies that I need.
During those three days in between shows in Colorado, I trekked up to Wyoming and learned to fly fish from a guide. I didn't catch much, but I realized that fly fishing isn't necessarily about catching fish for me. It is about the journey to get there, the form in casting, and the introspective quiet that surrounds me while fishing. No phone service, no ear buds, no conversation. It was life-changing.
I left that trip with a new found desire to enjoy life more. Monica and I sat down and discussed our bucket list as on the drive home, I starting thinking about other things that I wanted to experience.
That's where it all began. An impulse to start a new hobby has become a part of my life that I now plan around. When I have a few days in between shows, I find a cheap place to stay close to a fishing hole and fish quietly to reflect and re-center myself for the next show or season.
I'm writing this today because that trip is coming up again soon. And, yet again, instead of dreading the gap away from home in between shows, I am looking forward to a few days of not thinking about shipping products, making products, setting up for a show, or paying our vendors. All that stuff can wait. I have some fishing to do.
Have you thought about your bucket list? If so, what is on it? You can't start your bucket list of life adventures soon enough. If you wait too long, it may be too late to do some of the things on your list.
After fishing this summer, Monica and I are off to see Elton John. We have to. We spent a mortgage payment on the tickets!