Karma and the Bamboo Fly Rod

In the spirit of full disclosure I must admit that the following is most likely inspired by my birthday.  I turned 45 yesterday. Forty-Five.  Four Five...Fifty less Five.  Thirty plus Fifteen.  Half of Ninety.

When we started Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods, we were in our  late 20s.   In contrast, the majority of our clientele is and always has been...ummm...older wiser.  I can honestly say that we have received the benefit of said wisdom on many occasions.  Through the years, Oyster clients have generously offered up some tidbits about getting old securing your place in life's phase two...

1.  Getting old ain't for sissies.  (Yes...oldie but goodie)
2.  I have been spending the second half of my life making up for how terrible I was in the first half.
3.  If you have not learned anything by this age, you are not paying attention.
4.  Bending over to pick something up is just hard now.
5.  Teach your kids to fly fish row the boat.

So, why do I feel young?  I do.  Why do I feel as though I am in my prime?  

Time has become illogical.  It has flown by in one sense but stood tortuously still in another...  As I look back on yesterday my entry from five years ago exactly, there has been a lifetime squeezed inside the confines of only half a decade.  

Oh wait...

I just purposely deleted an hour of writing with two paragraphs of clichés' about what I have learned in the past five years...

...Really...but I will say this about being 45 years old.

I own it.

This has been the absolute clearest path I have ever taken in life.  After "getting out of my own way", letting go of superficial hang ups and crossing over into a more refined vision of my second act, I own this age.

Fear and loathing is seriously over rated and the adage "getting what you give" bellows with such great force in my daily routine that it has become sacred.

You Get What You Give. 

If you accept that energy can not be created or destroyed...only transferred...this makes perfect sense.

True giving is not exclusively spoken for by a league of pre-determined people. It's in all of us.  It's often the most visceral reaction to any of life's event.  

Giving is quite possibly the lowest common denominator that connects us all...so why is it so difficult?  Personally, I have found that life's distractions and overpowering need for perceived self preservation can dull down the senses into apathy. 

However, if you pull your head out of your ass long enough to realize the universe was not actually created for you if you exalt kindness and compassion, life's possibilities and tidings are endless. 

Endless.  Energy.  Endless.

Facebook, oversharing and bamboo fly rods

POST! Okay...these photos belong on Facebook...my children and Kory with their bamboo fly rods and huge trout!

For years, Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod's marketing department (me) has deliberately "opted out" of the Facebook phenomenon.  Deliberate or not...and among other reasons, this marketing department (me) prefers oversharing the old fashioned way (face to face with a bottle of wine).


In fact, this blog (and if you are reading this...you know that it's fairly difficult to even find this link on our web site)  originally was a passive way to share our story a bit more in-depth with future students coming from afar.  Then, you (my flock...and you know who you are) talked me into digging a little deeper and I now must admit, I enjoy chronicling this zany little life that chose us. 

One of Oyster's first Facebook photos...Bill photo bombing Riley during a class...look close.

I see Facebook as a third party presence that looms over pop culture in most situations. I won't bore you with all of the "everybody's very own editable reality show" references but I will say integrating "camera courage" into our lives has been fun to watch from the safe haven of  an "observer" non-participant.  So far...

Is it "post-worthy" when horses regularly cruise Main Street?  Do others find this as amusing?

I have heard from Facebook bullies advocates for years concerning  the benefits of sharing your life online...

You can keep up with your friend's children.
I would love to but I have a hard enough time keeping up with my own!

You can reconnect with friends from your past.
See above...

Facebook allows you to play games online with your friends!
Really...

You can tell everyone "what's on your mind"...
Do you know me at all?  Because if you do...this is not a very good suggestion.

POST!

So, you know where this is going, right?

After much cajoling from the peanut gallery Riley, Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods went Facebook official a few weeks ago.  And, even though I do not use my personal account, this little company is personal. Period.  Now I must learn how to properly navigate all of this or just move forward and maneuver as always .  For Oyster, there is no other possible approach than to just put it out there...our genuine nature.  "Like it or not".

And then there is the cat and mouse game with the newest "age old" question:  

To Post or Not To Post!?!?  

POST!

So, will this be some conversion on my part about sharing my personal, private, professional and family self more readily with zeal and vigor?  Is this blog going to end in some cathartic revelation about the integration of Facebook into my life?  

Probably not.  However, I remain flexible on this issue.

One more confession regarding why Facebook makes Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod's marketing department (me) uncomfortable.  I was raised to keep my true personal feelings at arms-length.  Therefore,  begging asking for your approval on any level feels wrong unnatural.

So...

I'll employ my secret weapon (I hear animals and kids are a big hit on Facebook)

LIKE ME!

In a much more subdued voice...

please and thank you