Inspirations

Commercial fishing is not a very common job nor are many people aware of what it takes to get seafood on their plate. It is an occupation that comes with many curses as well as many small blessings. I have already brought some of the curses to light and will undoubtedly continue to do so over the course of this blog. Fishermen are perhaps best known for bitching and moaning. They do it well.

The challenge in fishing is to remain aware of the blessings that befall one on a daily basis. They

may be small and fleeting, but they are wasted if they go unnoticed. These subtle blessings are what attract me to fishing, besides the adventure and constant physical challenge of it. If one catches them (the way the light shines on the gulls' tails as they greedily dive for bait, the orange glimmer in the shrimps' eyes when they are pulled from the water, or the dazzling sunrise first thing in the morning) they have the potential to be an inspiration.

This brings me to the whole purpose of writing this blog. I often speak of fishing to my family and friends. . . even complete strangers sometimes! People tell me that my story is unique and that I should write about it. My father receives the same response when he speaks of his career as a commercial ground fisherman back in the days of his youth. However, the circumstances of his career make it inappropriate in his mind to share his story publicly.

But I am not inspired to write in my father's place. Nor am I inspired simply by the idea of telling people how hard fishing is. I am inspired by those small blessings that I catch out of the corner of my eye while I'm frantically baiting a trap or stuffing bait bags. These small blessings inspire creativity in me.

So many fishermen are so caught up in the fever of fishing that they neglect to see the blessings. Yet even more fishermen notice the blessings (I hear them speak of them) and simply don't have the energy to manifest their inspirations. I've started bringing my small digital camera and taking pictures on the boat regularly. I printed some out for my Captain and he really appreciated them. He shared them with some of his fishing buddies. He said that he has intended to take pictures so many times, but often those moments are so fleeting that he doesn't have the chance. In fact, he has a disposable camera on board that I've seen him pick up once.

Anyway, my point is that I hope this blog will continue to act as my creative outlet in recording some of these inspiring blessings. I don't pretend to be any Linda Greenlaw by writing about my fishing career, nor will I ever be as amazing as that woman. But I do enjoy writing and a little photography. Fishing is currently a great source of inspiration for me. Maybe some day I'll have the nerve to share some of my little watercolor doodles of fishing too. :) Thanks for reading.