The Social Media Hive

A Dip in the Deep End

Although I am a very social person when it comes to live interaction with other human beings, I’ll be the first to admit that I have not yet fully been assimilated into the social media hive. Sometimes I feel that I am the only person left on this planet who is not totally connected every minute of every day. That being said, I am slowly trying to immerse myself in the digital communal watering hole.

As some of you know, I took a dip into the deep end several weeks ago and nearly drowned. Thank God there were hordes of social media savvy friends there to help me swim back to shore. It was a great learning experience, one that I will not soon forget. 

However, I must admit that the adrenaline rush of those first few hours, reading the comments that came cascading in, were, quite frankly, electrifying. For those of you who were off-planet on April 15th and not familiar with what happened, go to this article and buckle up.

A Test of Human Resolve

So here we go again. This is my version of getting back in the saddle. Once again, I am going to give you my opinion, and you are going to take that information and decide how to decipher it and disseminate it. Most of you will undoubtedly get the true intent and spirit of my comments and thoughts, but I’m also sure that there will be some that will twist and turn my words into something ugly, unfounded and untrue. So be it.

I see this pandemic as a test of human resolve. I’m not sure why or by whom, but I believe we are being measured to see how far we will bend before we break. Civil unrest is becoming more and more prevalent as our day-to-day distractions, such as major league sports, live musical entertainment, travelling, shopping, dining, etc. become less and less available. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I believe that the great outdoors and things like fishing, boating, hiking, camping and family day trips into green spaces will play a major role in the final analysis of how we score on this test. Call me crazy (which I’m sure some of you will), but I really think those of us who have already embraced the outdoors will have a profound effect on the outcome of this mess we find ourselves in today. I believe the outdoors and, in particular, fishing will somehow be the vaccine that we are desperately seeking and trying to synthesize. I think it’s already here, but we just can’t see it. 

A Touching Story

An Unconventional Revelation

How did I arrive at this rather unconventional revelation?  

While I was recently wading through the world’s largest professional internet network, LinkedIn, I became totally captivated by a short little vlog posted there. 

The author’s name is Samantha from Greenville, North Carolina. For whatever reason, she felt compelled to share an incredibly special and private moment that she was fortunate enough to have captured on video. The stage was a grass-covered bank on one of Samantha’s favourite fishing holes. 

The fact that I was even exposed to this wonderfully touching story was a total fluke. As I said at the beginning, I’m not a frequent flyer on the social media plane. But I was there searching for an old acquaintance that was in the fishing industry many years ago. In other words, fishing brought me there and inspired me to write this blog.

Precious Lost Moments

Reading her brief story and viewing the accompanying short video prompted me to travel back on my own timeline and recall my own precious lost moments that involved fishing with beloved family members, some living and some no longer with us. 

Precious Lost Moments: Here, Angelo is pictured fishing with family over his many years enjoying the Great Outdoors.

The next few minutes seemed like hours. I was in a daze filled with incredible visions and thoughts that put me in the most positive frame of mind that I have been in for quite some time. At that moment in time, I forgot about COVID-19 and forgot about the pandemic that has shrouded us in darkness. I immediately reached out to Samantha, a total stranger, and told her how compelling her story was and asked if I could share it with you. She graciously said yes.  

I think Samantha’s story needs to be shared with the world. It may be temporary, but the emotions that it will stir within you will make you forget that we are experiencing some of the most difficult times in modern history—even if for just a moment. 

 Thanks, Samantha.

Samantha’s Story

Last night, Owens and I hit the same banks that Grandma and I hit just a year ago #inmemory of our grandmother and great-grandmother. Oh, how I wish I could’ve gotten to fish with both of them together, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance. I share the many memories I have from fishing with Grandma over the years with Owens, though. The conversations I have with this little girl are priceless and I know Grandma is watching over us, proud to see her girls enjoying the one thing that brought her the most peace.

Pictures provided by Samantha Gay