Unlike my daughter’s graduation two years before the weather was gorgeous, even a bit hot. Sitting in Husky Stadium I could almost understand why people want to live in Seattle, almost. The speakers included the Governor and former Sec. Of State Madeline Albright. The speeches were pretty typical “ as you stand on the threshold of tomorrow” fare.

The jist of them seemed to be strive, strive, strive that and go to other countries and mettle in their affairs. I don’t have much strive in me, I’m not sure I ever did, but I admire it in other people. We tend to admire traits in others that we don’t possess, like neatness or doing math in your head. The great fly fishermen are not generally conventional strivers, they are interested in a kind of excellence that no one ever sees, like an artist whose work you only catch a glimpse of once in a while, you know he’s painting but the work is hard to find. The guiding business tends to attract the striving crowd as clients; after all they have the money to hire a troutbum for a day or two.

See how this is all coming together?

“As we stand on the threshold of the river with all its vast potential to provide years of serious fun, lets take a moment to reflect on the high points of our trout bum career.

First, how did we find ourselves with that original urge to stand in moving water whipping a yard sale fly rod around, maybe it was a friend or more probably a father that got us started down this slippery slope. Thanks Dad. The next big moment was when we realized the real bugs live under water with the fish, who knew? The final stage was the twenty years of study; the long days, the bad camp coffee, stale cigars, box wine and reading tons of bad fishing advice.

Yes there were sacrifices, the job, our health, maybe a relationship or two but all in all, not to steep a price to pay, to travel the road of self-actualization.”

Now you know why trout bums are never asked to give commencement addresses and why so few trout fishermen ever graduate to be Trout bums. I just finished a great book on compulsive fishing behavior called “A Family Place” by Charles Gaines. The lesson is be careful what you wish for you may get it. I recommend it, first because the writing is excellent and second we compulsive types are shown a clear picture of the darker side of our sport, a little sobering and probably a little close to home. It’s just fishing, right?