Around the Next Bend
by Michael Brown
This month I started writing/lamenting about the annual arrival of standard time. I even had some profound statements about the quality of how you spend your time is more important than the quantity thereof. I came to the sudden realization that the reader doesn't need to be reminded of this. We all know life is a journey, through time, that take us around the next bend.Over the past few months, I've had the opportunity to find out how another fishing/conservation organization works, and to be honest it doesn't. This organization has committees and a board of directors, that seemingly make all the "important" decisions for its membership. What makes CTFF special is that our members have a direct say in the operation of the organization. It makes me proud how we all pitch-in and do our part in fostering community spirit, both within and outside of the club. The larger organization does not have this sense of community -- that is their loss... the majority of their members are only concerned with catching fish and very little else.
The neverending dreams of travel still pervade my mind... when I get the chance to do so, I often think of how my friends would enjoy the places I've had the pleasure of going. One event that involves a bit of a road trip, will be held in early May 2003 in Tahlequah, OK, the Smallmouth Rendezvous, a get together sponsored by the Okie Fly Fishers -- a small group not unlike our's. I would like to see us host a similar event, that's a weekend of fly fishing, fly-tying, bbq, and camaraderie with fellow fly fishers. This year's event charged a small attendance fee (mostly to cover costs, and the rest to bolster their club's financial reserves -- I'm sure it will cost the same next year). I'm looking forward to this event and would like others to mark their calendars for it as well.
It's refreshing to know that I'm not the only one who write wistfully about idealism, thank you Marcus! It's tough to be much of a practicing idealist... it's just not very practical outside of the written page. What am I saying? We all know it's the thoughts that count, and being willing to share them with others — in hopes that they will live on in the minds of others to be passed along, somewhere around the next bend.
Note: This column originally appeared in our November 2002 newsletter.