Nothing seems so restorative to my busy mind as the company of good friends and pulling walleye from a beautiful lake beneath a clear blue sky. Once a year I have the pleasure of joining three friends from my work in the state alternative education association for a fishing trip. I read some of the best fishing books before going on this trip just so I knew some of the basics of fishing. We sit for hours trawling for fish and renewal – renewing friendship, catching up on successes and challenges we all face. These are all men who nurture young people and co-workers to do the best they can. Minnesota’s system of alternative schools serves students who for a variety of reasons have fallen by the way side and without our efforts might not recover their footing.
We spend the evenings talking and playing cards in a remote cabin where we hear little but the wind in the trees, birds, and of course mosquitoes. It was a short trip, but one I have come to treasure every year.