Lots of changes

Posted 9/28/22

OUTDOOR Adventures By Brian G. Schommer As I sat on a dock overlooking Diamond Lake, I could not help but be amazed by the number of changes that were happening right in front of me. Some of the …

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Lots of changes

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OUTDOOR Adventures

By Brian G. Schommer

As I sat on a dock overlooking Diamond Lake, I could not help but be amazed by the number of changes that were happening right in front of me. Some of the leaves on the trees surrounding the lake had already changed color and several had fallen to the ground. I was taking in the air of what most likely was the last day of eightydegree temps that we would be experiencing for awhile and the very dock I was sitting on would not be in the water come the next day. As I cast my line just off to the right of the dock, adorned with a small gold hook and a piece of night crawler, the Styrofoam bobber began to dance almost as soon as it hit the water. I knew it was either a perch or largemouth bass toying with the bait, which would be considered bait sized in and of itself. As I set the hook on the “lunker” which was about two inches long, I heard a voice behind me ask, “are you going to use that as bait,” confirming my earlier thought. It would be illegal to use a game fish as bait so “nope” was my answer, and at least I was doing what I set out to do. I was catching fish, although truth be told, there was not a keeper in the bunch. As a matter of fact, the twotothreeinch variety while plentiful, was the maximum size of anything I brought in. That little trip to the end of the dock however was one of the most successful activities in my entire week. They say that success is measured in many ways. In business, the higher powers often request that the employees’ goals be reportable, measurable, and profitable. In life, it is often the same of the goals that we set for ourselves. I can report that the fish were measurable by volume caught (1520) and lacking in size in the short time I was there. My goals were not only to catch a few fish, but to take some time to reflect on the things that were important to me less interference from anyone or anything else. Until my sisterinlaw and my wife came down to the lake, I was alone and attained a high level of success on reflecting. In truth, when Kathy and Mary showed up, I was reflecting about how lucky I was to have a place like this to collect my thoughts and how important the two of them are to me, so the “interruption” really was nothing of the sort and more of a confirmation. I guess profit is measured differently as well, because while I gained no financial reward from my trip to the end of the dock, I was rewarded in many other ways. Life is constantly changing and often, we have very little if any control over the changes. As I watched a golden leaf fall from a tree and flutter downward, only to land in the water, I was reminded how often we land in the “water” of life and need to decide if we sink, swim, or float along with wherever the current takes us. As someone who tends to be a bit “over philosophical” from time to time, the solace of the surroundings at the end of the dock may have had a little or even a lot to do with my being very analytical. We were also a day away from a huge step in our lives which had our emotions, nerves, and hopes all on high alert. In life, we all deal with a lot of “what if’s” and like just about everything else, we have little control. You might even say we are all a lot like the changing leaves that float to the next place in life. While we have a bit more control than the leaf, in many ways, we don’t. That is when the Great Outdoors become EVEN GREATER. We might not all have a sisterinlaw and brotherinlaw with a place on a lake, but we all know and have access to lakes. Heck, in Minnesota, we have over 10,000 of them. A great place to view the many changes in life while dealing with your own is right in front of you. I was reminded this past weekend at a show our band played at about the intense issues caused in our world by mental health and illness. While we all do not have mental illness, maintaining positive mental health is vital for all of us. The profits received from the little trip to the end of the dock were not financial, but the level of positivity gained by it was off the charts. Life is always changing and as Steve Winwood said in his 1988 Grammy nominated song, “You got to ROLL WITH IT.” You did not think there wouldn’t be at least one musical reference, did you? When you find yourself struggling, or just with a bunch of “life stuff” on your mind… head to a lake. Find a little place to call your own if even for a few minutes and look at all the changes in front of you. Just like those leaves, whatever the end game is for them, it will be alright. Just like it will be for you. Now, “Get Out and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.”