My husband loves nature. He draws peace and serenity from the rushing river water and the rolling waves of the ocean. To say that he loves fishing is an understatement! He got hooked into this hobby all the more as his job became so stressful, back when we were still in Manila. It was a good excuse to unwind away on out-of-town fishing trips on weekends. The time spent on preparing the rod and the bait, casting, reeling and the occasional battling with the creatures of the sea seem to recharge him for another week of fire-fighting in the office.
Since we moved to Australia, the stress levels at work had definitely gone down but fishing remained to be the favourite way to unwind. With fishing spots accessible just a few minutes from where we live, fishing has also become a regular family bonding activity. Keith is now a walking encyclopedia of the different species of fish. Seth just caught his biggest salt-water fish last weekend – a Morwong! I am always present in all their fishing adventures, but I do not have the virtue of patience to wait for a bite. I definitely have the patience though to wait for each beautiful, captivating sunset, while I watch my kids learn something really important about life.
In fishing, it is not all about the catch. It is about enjoying the priceless moment of being one with nature. It is about learning through experience. You learn what the right bait to use, how thick the line should be, when to use a sinker and when not to, how heavy should the sinker be, what the best time is to start casting, and the list goes on. Anticipating a catch adds to the excitement and seals the fishing experience, of course.
If you come to think of it, that’s just what life is, isn’t it? We tend to focus on the end goal – ‘When can we build our dream house?’.. ‘When will we get that second car?’.. ‘When will we have the budget for that dream holiday?’.. We hope for a life-changing event to happen, and in the process, we let the present moment escape us. As we become occupied in trying to see what’s on the other side, we sometimes become impatient and rush through life. If you are a parent for instance, I am sure that you would never forget that ecstatic moment when you saw your child’s face for the first time, that sweet smell of a newborn baby, that priceless smile that wipes all the worries away. But when you start to get sleepless nights, didn’t you wish they ‘re bigger when you wake up in the morning. When they started to crawl, I am sure you can’t wait to see them walk. When they started to walk, you can only wish they just have the word ‘rest’ in their vocabulary. It is looking forward to what’s next that sometimes ruins the journey. When we look back, isn’t it ironic when we ask ourselves, ‘where has time gone?!’.
Our first-born turned 13 – officially a teenager, and the youngest is 11. Still babies in my eyes, but you can hear them sometimes reasoning out like we are in a court room. They will tell you what’s fair and what isn’t in their world. There is now the more frequent battles and negotiations over the use of gadgets and sleepovers. It is a stage when I sound like a broken record, ‘Put your jumpers on, where are your beanies? Can you please tie your shoe laces?’ At this point, you cannot go to Target or K-mart anymore to buy them a new shirt or a new sneakers. It will just end up sitting in the closet because all of a sudden mum’s ‘generic’ taste just doesn’t suit their style anymore. The pantry may be full one day, and almost empty after a day or 2, and they only got one thing to blame for their big appetite – puberty!! (yes their Science teacher said so!). The kisses in front of their friends is now termed as an embarrassment; you are lucky to get one if there is no one looking! Messy boys’ bedrooms and stinky socks on the floor. I can wish they pass this stage fast, and be more responsible young adults, but I tend not to wish for that. Not just yet…
As chaotic as our daily lives may be, like the rumbling waves of the sea, I choose to pick up the learnings as a parent as we sail on. I savour those random times when they hug and kiss me after dinner and say ‘thank you mum, that was yummy!’. I smile secretly when they do stuff because they know they’ll hear my nagging voice again if they don’t. Eventually, I know, whether we like it or not, they’ll get there. They’ll become more organised young men, and they will need mum and dad less and less in their lives. Sad but very true.
For now, I’m happy to watch them grow. As with fishing, sometimes we just can’t reel it too fast or the line will break. Let’s just enjoy the experience, and the BIG catch will come. It always does, in His time.
Leave a Comment