This is My Midlife

This is not about getting old, it's just looking at things with a different point of view. It has nothing to do with younger women, tricked out Harley's, and hot rod cars. This past week I went to a hunting/fishing/outdoor show and had a great time. Don't get me wrong, but I couldn't help but notice the commercialism of getting outdoors. It seemed that everything was about the latest, greatest this, that, or the other. The fishing lures seemed to catch more fisherman than fish, the scents drew more hunters than animals, and all the calls called cash from your wallet. It's amazing how a certain arrow can make you kill more deer right off the bat. A new rod will have the fish jumping in the boat. What has happened to a cane pole and crickets. I know this seems like a lot of finger pointing but please understand there are 3 more pointing back at me. I have bought a garage full of gadgets over the years some worked, some well you know. I took my first deer in 1979 wearing blue jeans, a multi colored parka sitting on a 3 wheeler with a shotgun bought at Rose's smelling like a combine picking soybeans.
My kids were with me also, so I guess that is what has got me pondering all this. It was great that there was so many things for kids to do there, but no one was explaining to them what they were doing. . I watched as kids, mine included, banged away at deer and other game as they bounded over a screen. Fish were hauled into the boat for points and bonus's given for larger game. Nothing, or nobody was showing the why or what they were doing. Kids today go hunting to “KILL” as many animals as possible without learning how to take in what is going on about them. Camping has to have a A/C , I-pod, PSP or something to keep us busy instead using the time to learn something new. It seems that our kids figure the world is one big video game, take as many as possible with the biggest being the bonus points. So I have made the vow to pass everything I have learned through the years, on to mine, I want my kids to explore their own lives but I do want to make sure they are pointed in the right direction to do it.
We seem to be caught into a frenzy just as bad as the kids. We are members of Hunting clubs, fishing clubs pouring thousand of dollars out to have the best chance and the biggest. George Perry went fishing in a oxbow lake on the Ocmulgee river for supper on June 2, 1932 and caught a Largemouth bass weighing 22lbs 4ozs. There were no special food sources imported into the lake, no special strain, bred to grow best in that region. Just a fish swimming around the way God made him and eating what was there. Thats a record. Deer are fed the latest genetically altered food source so we can get the most out of what we want. We seem to have forgot how to just take in the outdoors.
So now I have made a vow to enjoys the things in life that make me smile, Family, hunting, fishing, golf etc.. I am not going to let people throw words and feelings to take the fun out of things, they are to bogged down in themselves to enjoy things anymore. But I'm going to use the “KISS” rule as I approach this “Keep It Simple Stupid” . To borrow the words from Randy Travis” It's not what you take out of this world, It's whats you leave behind”.