What We Leave Behind

The Old Rod & Rusty Tackle Box

Sometimes people come into your life and teach you a valuable lesson. I work in a busy medical practice that treats cancer patients. These people are receiving therapies for their advance cancers and doing battle with the big C. I have never met a bunch of people that see what they are going through as a gift. Some say it made they see life in a more clear way. Some say that it taught them to do things that they have been putting off, others focus on what they want to leave behind. I have been blessed to have crossed paths with some great people. John was in his late seventies and was living alone, coming to treatments was starting to wear him down. I caught him once reading a Bassmaster magazine I had put on our magazine rack. I began to strike up conversation with him and a flood of stories pored out. 

He told me about family trips to the long island sound and him and his best friend catching huge fish off the Jersey cost. His memories were as vivid as if he caught the fish yesterday. When he told his stories his face lit up and for a minute he was not in a waiting room. We became close as the weeks went by. On the day of his last treatment he came in holding a rod and a very old rusty tackle box. He waved me over and said " this is a little something I want to give you". John told me that the stories made his time in the waiting room fly by and it made him remember stories he thought he forgot. The rod was a vintage 1963's spinning set that was very used. You can tell that this rod had seen some major fish fights. I have a soft spot in my heart for old lures, it's something about the hand made finishes that get me.

 Fishing lures are not made this way anymore, now they are massed produced. I opened the rusty tackle box and caught a glimpse of a lure that I have never seen. It was long with a treble hook in the front and on the back. I was called an eel. I was amazed at the collection. Many wooden lures and a few rig sets. One lure John pointed out was his fathers favorite. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart and shook his hand. I asked him why he was giving me this stuff if it meant so much to him. John answered back " to me it's a treasure to everyone else it's someone's old junk". I saw it as a treasure and will hold on to it and tell everyone about John's stories when they ask about the old rod and rusty tackle box.

The Doctor and The Crossbow

It was a fall afternoon and I was in the waiting room. I had just been asked how was the fishing over the weekend from the women at the front desk. I replied my usual response it was amazing caught over thirty. In realty it was more like six, but that was confidential information. A man from the waiting room approached me and asked if I was a fisherman. I told him about my show on public access TV and website. We had long talks about how to catch fish and how to adapt your fishing style to the fish your after. He enjoyed the stories and I told him that besides fishing I was getting into hunting. I wanted to bring that aspect of the outdoors into the show and my life. The doctor told me that he had a crossbow if I was interested. When I asked how much he said nothing, just take him and his children on a fishing trip when he was feeling better. That was so kind and generous of him, I could not help but think you want a fishing trip with me. Now that's what I call putting on the pressure. He took me out to his car in the parking lot and pulled out a brand new crossbow. It looked amazing and I 'm sure to the people passing really amazing. I was surprised the cops did not pull up and arrest the doctor and me with the crossbow. He told me to enjoy it and to be safe, he thanked me for talking to him about the outdoors. As it stands we have a fishing trip were going on, once he is feeling better! I am looking forward to fishing with the doctor and the crossbow.