Merci Felix
I recently went fishing with the son of one of my favourite people. I had been saying I would take him for a very long time, but finally I had to make it happen; life can get too busy otherwise. He was over the moon with excitement, an excitement I recognized in myself whenever I fished as a boy. At 7AM, he emerged from the house, a huge smile on his face and his rods, tackle box and lunch in hand.
We went to a small lake, one I always catch fish on, just to bolster his chances, as there is nothing worse than avid ‘fisher kid’ not catching a fish while out their (same for an avid ‘fisher adult’). After about an hour, I had four fish, but he had yet to snag one. He needed a fish! I gave him a different lure to try, although up to that point he had been using the same lure as the one I had caught my four with. Not a minute later … Bang! He nailed one! His eyes lit up; he was all smiles, beaming and so excited. This is what I had dearly wanted the day to be about, his day to catch his fish.
Our final fish count was twelve, and he even got to drive the boat, skillfully avoiding all the rocks, thank goodness. In the pictures I took, you could see the memories we had made; they are priceless. All this to say is that if you promise a young person something, anything, then make the time to fulfill the promise. If you are only ‘blowing smoke’, then don’t promise. Children are so worth the time we spend with them. They might like some things different from us older folks, but the time spent with them is invaluable, and creates such incredible memories, for all. Today’s youth need us more than ever. They need our presence not just presents, it is said. They need us to show them that there is life beyond video games and the infernal cell phone. They need to understand that adults are not the enemy, that we can be friends, that we can learn from each other and enjoy time together.
I will take him again and again, because the day was so worth it. He is so worth it. Spend as many days as you can with a young person, and suddenly, you are young again yourself. Merci, Felix! A bientot!
Stephen Douris
