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One of the things that helps me stay sane (to the extent that I can be said to be "sane". Now STFU, peanut gallery!) is... wait for it... fishing. Wait, what? I

One of the things that helps me stay sane (to the extent that I can be said to be "sane". Now STFU, peanut gallery!) is... wait for it... fishing. Wait, what? I know, I know. But hear me out. There's a spot where I go to fish a lot, because it's very convenient to access. Because it's very convenient to access, everybody and their cousin fishes there. Due to the fishing pressure, the fishing at this spot isn't really great, at least not for largemouth bass, which is usually what I'm targeting. But still I go. And you know what? The point isn't really the fish. It's about being outside, being near the water, having other people around but mostly not having to interact with them unless I choose to, having the ability to fish right up until dark, then start a little campfire and sit back for a while and listen to the fire crackle and pop while watching the stars come out, etc. It all helps me stay grounded. Even more, another aspect of hanging out here is that it's such a "community hole" kind of place, that you get a really diverse crowd. You get white guys (me), black guys, hispanic guys, black women, hispanic women, old guys, young guys, little kids, asian guys, etc., etc. And out here, I've never so much as once seen race, gender, or age matter to anybody. We all fish, we talk about fishing inasmuch as we talk ("Hey, anybody seen any white bass starting to show up yet? The spawning run should be starting about now?" or "You catching anything today?", or "What bait are you using?", etc.) and that's it. Some people are out there fishing for food, some are there just fishing for sport, some were born and raised in the US and are college educated, some barely speak any English at all and are possibly undocumented migrant workers, but yet at the end of the day we're all just a bunch of people hanging out on a dam by a spillway, trying to catch a fish. It's good to be reminded that there are times and situations where you can throw a bunch of people together in a (relatively) small area who probably have very little in common in many ways, but yet they can be united by their humanity and by a simple common interest. The moral of this story? Take up fishing, I guess. :-) Or if not fishing, at least something to get you outside, away from computers and social media and "tech stuff" for a few hours here and there.

fmitga 4y ago
I have to agree with this notion. Fishing seems to be a community building shared relaxation space, one of my favorite activities to fill my increasingly limited free time. It's very offline and accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status.
O__________O 4y ago
Sure the fish find it relaxing too. /s
dspillett 4y ago
My go-to is trail running (or walking), though this is less social as it tends to mainly be me on my own occasionally passing or being passed by a hiker, dog walker, or another runner, unless I'm on a paid trail event when there are tens or one-or-two hundred other runners out on the route. The key similarities between your escape method and mine are, I think, getting away from the Internet & other bits of our daily stress, and getting out into the countryside a bit.
Clubber 4y ago
I like going to the shooting range. It gives me something to look forward to. The range I go to is outdoor, so I get some fresh air too. I walk 100-200 yards and back to place my targets, then again every time I need a fresh one. I also shoot clays sometimes, which is a blast (pun intended). When I'm really feeling bad, mild exercise seems to do wonders. I'll walk briskly for 30 minutes usually and feel better afterwords, at least for a short while.
- icelancer 4y ago
  Was going to say this is what I do. Shooting and fishing are very similar. Outdoor range, mixed cultural group every time. Mostly paper punching with rifles, like you, but also obliterating clays a few times per year.
jamal-kumar 4y ago
It's a bit harder because the fish tend to be larger, but I've always had way more luck with proper catches and developed quite a preference for fishing on ocean as long as there's access to that. I learned from a professional fisherman how to catch fish without a rod - Hook, line, sinker, and a piece of wood to wrap the line around, attached with a decent amount of line anchoring it in place, along with something like a garden glove guarding your hand as you wrap it to pull the catch in are all you need, you can sling out a line far enough into the ocean as long as you're careful enough to use the right technique and not get it tangled on anything like your head. You won't be catching the largest fish this way but if you know you're not in for anything too crazy it's incredibly effective.
waboremo 4y ago
Community building is excellent way to deter a lot of what is referenced in the blog, but I worry people are taking it too extreme. Infantilizing themselves into only being "positive" where nothing but small talk can occur. You cannot build a community without understanding one another, through darkest or disagreeable days. Now there's a time and place for everything, you don't have to bring up your divorce at the fishing spot or anything like that. I just don't believe people are building the communities they really want, the profound relationships they really desire, and it's killing them from the inside. Which in turn leads them to the internet. Hopefully you see where I'm going now ;)
AlbertCory 4y ago
This is also true of baseball games. Everyone talks to everyone, even if they're rooting for the other team. All good vibes. I happened to be at Dodger Stadium when Jake Arrieta of the Cubs was throwing a no-hitter against the Dodgers. Still, in the 9th inning, everyone was standing and rooting for him.
nicbou 4y ago
In other words, "go touch grass", preferably with other people.
reidrac 4y ago
I miss going fishing, I should go back to it. Thank you for sharing this!

fmitga 4y ago

I have to agree with this notion. Fishing seems to be a community building shared relaxation space, one of my favorite activities to fill my increasingly limited free time. It's very offline and accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status.

O__________O 4y ago

Sure the fish find it relaxing too. /s

dspillett 4y ago

My go-to is trail running (or walking), though this is less social as it tends to mainly be me on my own occasionally passing or being passed by a hiker, dog walker, or another runner, unless I'm on a paid trail event when there are tens or one-or-two hundred other runners out on the route. The key similarities between your escape method and mine are, I think, getting away from the Internet & other bits of our daily stress, and getting out into the countryside a bit.

Clubber 4y ago

I like going to the shooting range. It gives me something to look forward to. The range I go to is outdoor, so I get some fresh air too. I walk 100-200 yards and back to place my targets, then again every time I need a fresh one. I also shoot clays sometimes, which is a blast (pun intended). When I'm really feeling bad, mild exercise seems to do wonders. I'll walk briskly for 30 minutes usually and feel better afterwords, at least for a short while.

icelancer 4y ago
Was going to say this is what I do. Shooting and fishing are very similar. Outdoor range, mixed cultural group every time. Mostly paper punching with rifles, like you, but also obliterating clays a few times per year.

jamal-kumar 4y ago

It's a bit harder because the fish tend to be larger, but I've always had way more luck with proper catches and developed quite a preference for fishing on ocean as long as there's access to that. I learned from a professional fisherman how to catch fish without a rod - Hook, line, sinker, and a piece of wood to wrap the line around, attached with a decent amount of line anchoring it in place, along with something like a garden glove guarding your hand as you wrap it to pull the catch in are all you need, you can sling out a line far enough into the ocean as long as you're careful enough to use the right technique and not get it tangled on anything like your head. You won't be catching the largest fish this way but if you know you're not in for anything too crazy it's incredibly effective.

waboremo 4y ago

Community building is excellent way to deter a lot of what is referenced in the blog, but I worry people are taking it too extreme. Infantilizing themselves into only being "positive" where nothing but small talk can occur. You cannot build a community without understanding one another, through darkest or disagreeable days. Now there's a time and place for everything, you don't have to bring up your divorce at the fishing spot or anything like that. I just don't believe people are building the communities they really want, the profound relationships they really desire, and it's killing them from the inside. Which in turn leads them to the internet. Hopefully you see where I'm going now ;)

AlbertCory 4y ago

This is also true of baseball games. Everyone talks to everyone, even if they're rooting for the other team. All good vibes. I happened to be at Dodger Stadium when Jake Arrieta of the Cubs was throwing a no-hitter against the Dodgers. Still, in the 9th inning, everyone was standing and rooting for him.

nicbou 4y ago

In other words, "go touch grass", preferably with other people.

reidrac 4y ago

I miss going fishing, I should go back to it. Thank you for sharing this!