Why The Fly

When I was asked to write about my favorite passions outside of work, my brain immediately started rifling through the things I like to do. What started as a simple question turned into a snowball of thoughts. Fly fishing was an obvious go-to, but overthinking a simple question made me realize why it was my go-to. Simply stated, it’s been the greatest weapon I have to combat a busy mind. Over the past decade or so, it’s been as much of a way to stay active and outdoors as it is a way to clear the gutters and cobwebs in my brain. 

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I started fly fishing roughly ten years ago, but I really sunk my teeth into it during my last couple years of college, tipping off to Colorado, The Upper Midwest, and Arkansas over breaks to chuck some flies. Then, once I moved to Denver, it became my thing. There are plenty of things that I love to do like writing, reading, working out, and cooking. But, none of those things take me to a gorgeous backdrop where I get to leave the to-do’s and annoyances of daily life on the shelf and save figuring it all out for another day. It’s easy to say that fishing can teach you patience, but it’s taught me more than that.

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One of the greatest things standing in a river and waving a stick can give you is perspective. Out in the mountains, in a canyon, on the high desert, or perched atop an alpine lake, you’re the smallest thing for miles around, and your problems suddenly don’t seem that gigantic anymore. Life can definitely suck at times, but at least I know I have a place that can take me away from it all every once and a while. And, it’s made me care even more about the world around me. Trout are some of the prettiest things we’ve got, and they live in even prettier places.

What started as a fun way to get outdoors has become a deep love for the fish and the habitats they call home. Funny enough, I’ve found that the more that I care for these environments, the more it rubs off on me. It’s made me want to take things as they come, rather than make plans and have the universe laugh at me later. It’s made me pay even more attention to the way I treat the people, places, and things around me. And, it’s given me a metaphor to never live without: If you just keep casting, good things will come.

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In fact, good things came in unexpected ways. Casting the metaphorical fly rod at concepts, headlines, scripts, and tags can get cumbersome and feel like a chore, especially when something is on the tip of your tongue. That’s the exact moment I tend to pick up the fly rod and start actually casting. I leave. Head to the river. Chuck some flies. Catch some fish. Let em go, and let em grow. Then, I return to an even better catch; the idea seed I planted and watered has started to sprout into the very thing that I was so close to finding. While I was busy wading through my passions, my mind was secretly at work, solving the problems I left at home. And, though it’s not the answer to everything, a little time outside can never hurt.

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The more time I spent outdoors, my interest became a hobby, and my hobby became a passion. I started to see and feel some pretty great things. And, as someone who prides themselves on having a top notch sense of silly goosery, writing sincerely about something you love and how it relates to work and life can be a little counterintuitive. Except for fly fishing. Because what used to be an activity is now my best way to coexist with anxiety and overthinking, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

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See ya out there.

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