"It's Called Fishing, Not Catching!"( What does fishing have to do with Multiple Sclerosis?)

So what does Fishing have to do with Multiple Sclerosis?

Truthfully ... Everything and nothing at the same time! Fishing has helped me with my MS in so many ways, mentally and physically!

So let's start from the beginning, shall we? I have been fishing off and on my entire life!

Growing up in New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana ( Where I lived most of my life), and now living on the Oregon coast. So it's no surprise that my Dad was a fisherman and loved to fish! Teaching my siblings and I the fisherman ways as his Dad taught him, but there is more to Fishing than throwing on a fly and casting a fly rod, "there is more there then what your eyes can see"........

Sound familiar?

I cherish the days my Dad and I fly fished. For the years we fished, we had stood on the rocks of rivers together learning the water, getting a feel for where fish would be, celebrating when a "Big One" finally bit the fly, and occasionally falling into the river. He taught me so much, and fly fishing itself has taught me a lot personally, too.

• Be patient! We all know that Fishing requires patience, taking a day to fish, and not catching anything or your catching nothing while your Dad or fishing partner is catching them all!

So irritating, right? This is where my Dad would say, "It's Called Fishing, NOT Catching," All good things come in time. You may not catch something for hours or at all that day, but if you're patient and you put in the casts, good things will happen.

With MS, patience is necessary, especially when you have a toddler! Learning that patience, not only as a mother but also as a patient with MS, it's hard.

Toddler tantrums and MS Fatigue do not mix well, but practicing my patience every day with her, and my MS has helped tremendously!

It is hard, though, I am not able to do the things I once was able to, and I am still grasping that I have to give my mind and body time to heal.

I have to listen to my mind and body and accept my limitations (which I still struggle with. What can I say I like to be in control of my body, with MS I don't get that choice).

Life doesn't fucking care if I am impatient, and Multiple Sclerosis doesn't care what plans I have and who with, or how I want to achieve my goals and when.

Life happens on its terms, and learning patience keeps me sane and prepared while Fishing, parenting, and with my Multiple Sclerosis.

You never know when you are gonna get a bite, so seize the moment when it happens and prepare yourself for the fight!

• Be Present! When Fishing, you want to be present at that moment, look at the surroundings, read the water, know where the fish are or where your gut is saying they are, know what fly you are going to use, or try.

Something about just keeping your mind on the water when you're casting, and with every cast knowing where you want your fly to go. Watching the direction of the river, seeing where the foam is ( my Dad always would tell me to aim for the foam "Foam is home" he would say), I check my form than cast following the line with my eyes as I point the rod to the exact spot I want my fly to hit!

Enjoying the little moments on the water and the surrounding nature.

Much like Fishing, staying present, and enjoying what is in front of you is an ultimate gift, with or without MS. Before being diagnosed and even now, I struggle with staying present and enjoying the little things.

We take advantage of these small moments in life, not focusing on the present, the now.

What you have today, you may not have tomorrow, and that is something you will never know. With or without Multiple Sclerosis, you need to enjoy every little moment, every kiss, every hug, every walk, or hike, every little thing.

Each day is different, and living with a debilitating disease, you could have a new symptom that could take something so simple away from you. So, for now, I will and am continuing to work on being present.....

Oh yeah, and of course, fish!

• Accepting Failure (Change) and Persevere! Along with patience and staying present, Failure is a part of Fishing. Spending the entire day changing out flies, finding new holes, fixing the line you broke off from a dead tree you hit to catch nothing. Yes... that's part of it that how we learn, right?, and with Fishing, there can be a lot of error and always a lot to learn.

You can see the fish your casting right in front of them, but yet what you have on isn't what they want. So you try another and another, and again they still aren't biting?

Maybe it's my cast? Then you spend the time to figure out what cast is going to work best to find out that isn't working either.

Alright, so you have one more trick up your sleeve, and you cast it upriver and let it drift down ......then BAM!! You get your first bite of the day..... but jokes on you... you didn't set the fucking hook!

FAIL!!!

I have done this so many times it's frustrating yes, and shit like this happens with MS too.

We learn from our failures, though, and it's what you do after a failure that determines how successful you will be.

Like I was explaining earlier, having Multiple Sclerosis you can be fine one day, and the next, a simple ability is taken from you. Meaning you can only push your self so far, and knowing your limits is very important for your health.

I have such a hard time with this, and 2 years into being diagnosed, I'm still learning my limits. ( Cause they change all the time).

When things are forever changing unexpectedly, Failure can and will happen. You may push yourself too hard one day and cause a slight flare-up or get light-headed.

That's okay! Its gonna happen you are going to be okay though, and you ( just like everyone else) are learning their forever changing body and your limitations ( Cause we all have them).

Accept the change and Persevere we all are fighting to be our best self, and along with fishing Failure is a part of this fight!

• Celebrate the wins! When I was younger and fishing with my Dad, spending those hours not getting any bites but still putting that work in.

The Patience, Staying Present, The Failures, and still pushing through.

It was the moments that we caught a fish that motivated you to fish more!

It didn't matter how big or small they may have been; my eyes would widen, and I was amazed! Whether I caught one or He caught one, I was like a little kid on Christmas jumping up and down excited that we pushed through and caught a fish.

We would take it out of the water and celebrate by taking a picture with "Our Prize Fish"!

I cherish those moments, and with Multiple Sclerosis, we have those too!!

No matter how big or small your accomplishments are while having MS, you need to celebrate that shit!

• You got up in the morning, showered, and got ready for the day? That's a Win!

• You woke up without the symptom you had the day before? That's a win!

• You were able to walk or run longer then you had on the previous day? That's a Win!

• You had your yearly MRI, and you have less active lesions! That's a Win!

My point is, no matter how big or small those wins are celebrated them all!! You deserve it even if no one else recognizes them, It doesn't matter, but YOU DO!

So what does Fishing have to do with MS? A lot more than what your eyes can see!

It teaches you so much, not to mention it can be relaxing and a good stress reliever!

I choose to fish, I want to control the things I can control even though it may not end in getting a bite or catching that "BIG ONE."

I'm choosing to put in the work with my Multiple Sclerosis and control the things I can control, even if I fail and things change I will fight to be the best I can with MS!

This is my purpose ....... My MS Purpose!

Maybe these views on fishing relate to you, and your journey. I know they have helped me with my Multiple sclerosis and I hope they will help you.

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