Words Remembered

Sometimes I look back at my life and I remember the exact words that were spoken to me 40 plus years ago. But I don’t really understand the significance of the words nor why I would remember those words in particular.  Sometimes the words I remember, at least on the surface don’t seem to express anything of great importance that I should remember them more clearly. And some of those words remembered were about fishing. 

When I was 11 years old I went to a small Pennsylvanian town where my Dad had grown up. Some of my relatives had still lived there and during this particular summer I went to stay with my Uncle and Aunt for a week. Even as a kid I liked to get away from my neighborhood and spend time fishing alone. My uncle and aunt did not fish but they arranged for me to fish with a neighbor who lived a few doors down. He was an elder gentleman who I was to call Ta Ta, and he loved to fish.  He was not a relative, just a friend of the family who seemed to like children.

Ta Ta took me to a pond that held bass and catfish. It was very hot so the fishing was not any good. But I do remember certain parts of our conversation.  I remember him complimenting me by saying that fishing with me was easy for him because I could take care of myself and untangle my own line. I also vaguely remember him sort of complaining about how when he took other kids fishing and they got all tangled up he would have to spend the whole day undoing their messes.

And then strangely, the words I remember most vividly were spoken after he took a slip on the muddy bank falling gently on his hand which got covered in mud. He casually opened up his tackle box and pulled out a rag and wiped his hand clean and then said, “It is a good idea to always keep an old rag with you while you are fishing”. And nothing else was spoken about it but I remembered the words.

While I remember those words I must admit that I presently do not fish with an old rag in my fishing vest.  I have not found a need for it as Ta Ta did. So I still remain perplexed wondering why I remembered the advice of keeping an old rag if I found no use for it.  But in looking back my guess is that maybe I was intuitive enough to know it was something in his heart that I heard more than the words. There was nothing pretentious about his advice. In fact, I don’t think he was even trying to give me advice. The words just left him naturally. The advice was utterly simplistic and at the same time absolutely sincere.

I wonder if on that day had he tried to say some thing more important such as, “Anthony, it is a good thing to always have faith while you are fishing,”  would I have remembered those words?  I guess the answer to that question depends upon many things, too many possibilities and side tangents to discuss in this short essay.

But in the end, to this day, I strangely remember his words spoken to me. And now when I take many adults and children fly fishing, and especially children, I wonder what words, if any, they will remember spoken by me.  And, if they will hear the words of my heart.