Awww...C'mon!

I have been a fisherman for most of my life. I can remember riding my bike to fish Beaver Dam on Long Island as a kid, and later as a youth learning to fly fish 2 summers in the wilds of Canada (a story in itself). My more recent fishing has involved tens of thousands of casts for trophy salmon and steelhead trout on the mighty Salmon River in Pulaski, NY.

But alas, the human body is frail, and I am finding that the cumulative wear and tear for this lefty has taken a toll. I suddenly find that my shoulder has become "painful", to say the least ,when I attempt to do the things I love like fishing and table tennis. Today it was ping pong which lasted for all of 2 minutes before I had to quit and head home for a hot pack.

My doc has suggested I start my career over as a righty. I have tried this with only modest success. And really...how long would it take to turn me into a right handed sportsman? Is there enough time left in my athletic career for me to become a righty ping pong player??

I am stubborn and so I will rest and get back on my horse Friday. I do this while keeping in mind the possibility of having to watch a fishing movie sometime in the distant future. Until then, I plod on to the finish line, enjoying every step!

I have just finished reading a wonderful book passed along to me by my brother and titled: Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark Sullivan. It is based on the harrowing life of a young Italian hero from World War 2, and is a must read in these troubled times. The book ends with a marvelous quote by the main character, Pino Lella, that I reproduce here in its entirety:

"You know, my young friend, I will be ninety years old next year, and life is still a constant surprise to me. We never know what will happen next, what we will see, and what important person will come into our life, or what important person we will lose. Life is change, constant change, and unless we are lucky enough to find comedy in it, change is nearly always a drama, if not a tragedy. But after everything, and even when the skies turn scarlet and threatening, I still believe that if we are lucky enough to be alive, we must give thanks for the miracle of every moment of every day, no matter how flawed. And we must have faith in God, and in the universe, and in a better tomorrow, even if that faith is not always deserved."

The above words are an inspiration to me.

Joanna chats up our neighbor, John, during the cocktail hour on a beautiful day here in paradise.