Following my proclamation last month of “getting out there” and careering into the rockface of what we do within Fishing for Schools, I have continued easing myself in from the comfort of an office chair. This has included the endless emails (thank you!) and my terror of all things spreadsheet orientated, into the actual business of delivering our programme, and I am having the time of my life! Going back to what I was designed for - teaching, coaching, helping, applauding and generally celebrating the joy which young people derive from what we do, is life affirming for me.
The enthusiasm of the young people is infectious. I have caught that bug.
The other week saw me (us actually - because without your immense support we could not do what we do!), at a school in the Midlands. This was not just any school, but a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) which can often be a potential last chance saloon for many young people before educational oblivion. These are tough places, with even tougher kids…until they fish.
I have said it so many times in the past; if society continues to snatch the joy of being a child and supplant that with the urgency to become a small adult, there is a significant cost to pay.
When fishing we can immerse ourselves in something ethereal, intangible, vast and allow imagination to wander. Most of us, if not all, become that child again: tip toeing into a world of natural wonder and adventure. What angler has never uttered internally - or verbally:
“what if….”
“I wonder what’s down there….”
“I bet monsters live here…”
And the misery of….
“if only I……”
All of these came to fruition with the Midlands PRU…and the sheer unbridled joy of just being out there! was enough to see something of the inner child return.
Job done!