Text & Photo: Jaap Kalkman
We woke up at 05:00; the excitement of the day to come woke us up long before the alarm would go off. After a quiet breakfast, so as to not wake up the rest of the family, we grabbed half a loaf of white bread, fishing poles, bobbers, and out the door we went. A big adventure lay ahead of my brother, who was five, and I, much older, at age six – we were going fishing in the canal behind our house!
Nothing really changes. So when, two weeks ago, the alarm went off at 05:00 I was already up and feverishly getting my fishing gear and duffel bag ready for my flight to the Caribbean; I was going tarpon fishing!
Fishing has always had a strong sense of adventure for me. Even though my fishing trips are a bit more exotic these days, they still bring me the same excitement that I felt when I was a little boy and went fishing in the canals behind my home. The sense of adventure that fishing brings me greatly ads to happiness as I define it: an accumulation of experiences that stimulate the mind in a positive way. For me, this often involves discovery of new things and learning, both amply represented in fishing. At my age, when many aspects of life start to become mundane, the ability to revitalize myself by doing something as simple as going fishing is invaluable.
My next fishing trip is already booked and the fishing season here has started; let the adventure begin!
