Monday, May 2, 2005

This Quote...

... crossed my electronic desk the other day:

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony.” – William Henry Channing, clergyman, reformer (1810-1884)

I have to admit, it struck a chord. It seemed to me to be a good philosophy for fishing with feathers and sharp wire. “To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury…” I know a guy who only has two or three rods. He loves old, simple, half-worn stuff, but only if he made it that way himself. He’s happiest that way.

“to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart…” Elsewhere in this issue I mentioned the Music of the Spheres, a concept I believe in absolutely in spite of my scientific education.

“to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never…” Above all, fly fishing is an honest endeavor, a pure and unadulterated pursuit of who we are – or once were .

“to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common – this is my symphony.” This thing, this wading, casting, wet, hot, tired, sore, bug-bitten, brush-busting, nettle-stung, wild thing called fly fishing… this is my symphony…

-Ed