“I’m not afraid of storms, I’m learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott
The last four months have seemed like an everyday battle against many different kinds of storms.
And while you are not s much afraid as frustrated, the Louisa May Alcott quote keeps coming to mind. The biggest struggles you had in the spring were balancing work and the remote homeschooling process. Most days, in fact, you felt like a complete failure on the education front. So much so that your three children were basically fending for themselves, while you were worrying about your parents, feeling exhausted from the anxiety of isolation and the unknown, and rarely getting any sleep.
And while you realize your stresses are very different from wondering how you are going to pay for your next meal, or whether or not you are going to get sick working to provide services for others, your struggle is real as well. The fear of being alone and vulnerable if you do get sick was a constant worry. In addition, you also worry about how this is impacting your older son who frequently worries and sometimes sad on the best of days. You worry about your daughter who is devastated she will not get a senior prom, or graduation, but understands how blessed she is in other ways. Meanwhile, your younger daughter and two dogs are having the time of their lives with not a care in the world.
Your husband has been deemed an essential worker and is required to go into the office, but he is one of only six in a space set up for 150, so the social distancing component is very easy. In fact, there have been several days when he has been home from work earlier than any time in the last six months as a result of so many fewer interruptions.
Fortunately, after a very long spring and a disappointing beginning to the summer, you have managed to secure a reservation you think the whole family will enjoy. Your son and husband are looking forward to using the discount fly rods that they purchased last fall and you, the girls, and the dogs are excited about the opportunity to hike, swim, and lounge in the sun. Getting into the great outdoors is a perfect solution to making sure you salvage some of these days when the world is so full of uncertainty.
Summer Should be a Time of Fly Reels and Discount Fly Rods
Although so many of the plans that most Americans have made have been cancelled or postponed in the last four months, it is exciting to know that there are many ways that some families are still finding an opportunity to get away. Vacationing, fishing, and camping in the great outdoors meets almost all of the requirements of social distancing and staying safe, so there are many who are clamoring for the chance to pull their discount fly rods out of the shed or garage, rest, relax, and unplug for a glorious few days.
And while the use of fishing tackle and discount fly rods will not solve any of the health and economic problems the nation is facing, it is important to note that finding a way to unwind can give many people the chance to face the other challenges with more patience and energy. Consider some of these facts and figures about the number of Americans who love the chance to go fishing and spend time outdoors:
- More than 49 million Americans participated in freshwater, saltwater and fly fishing in the year 2017 alone.
- In fact, in the year 2017, the largest share of fishing participants went on four to 11 trips, and research indicates that a small percentage went on fishing outings more than 104 times that year.
- Just one year later in 2018, there was just under 30 million paid fishing license holders in the country. And given that the gross cost of these fishing licenses exceeded $720 million meant that this activity played a major role in the economy of the nation that year.
- Also in 2018, 20.38% of respondents between the ages of 18 to 29 years indicated that they went fishing in the last 12 months.
