Gonna let the pictures tell most of the story today.

We’ve been enjoying the cooler weather in the last month or so, and the boys have been putting a twelve foot Tenkara rod to good use. My parents bought the rod for the boys’ birthdays, and the length of the rod, combined with low water conditions, has made many more sections of our favorite rivers accessible to them.

I remember just a couple years ago when Joey caught that first brown trout by himself on a fly rod; now both boys usually catch a few fish on each outing. It’s not just the rod length or the conditions either — they are both growing up, and are each proud of their new skills.

Being their Dad gets better every day. Often, when I talk with older parents, they tell me that these years are the best times of being a parent; they tell me to soak it up, to enjoy every day because the boys will change, and I’ll wish these days were still here. That always makes me a little sad, because there’s no pause button — and I do try to enjoy every moment, but I don’t want to feel like the best days are passing by.

So, it was refreshing and eye-opening when another friend recently shared a different perspective. His boys are grown men, and he is happily living out his retirement.

“What were the best years of being a Dad?” I asked. “What was your favorite stage?”

My friend looked at me with surprise.

“Oh, right now,” he said. “Every year of being a Dad has just gotten better.”

He went on to explain that all of the life stages that he and his boys went thorough were even more enjoyable than the last, because each year was built on the wonder and the discovery of the years that came before.

I want to live that  way.

Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com