My husband and I took yesterday off from work, from life. We took time to slow down, to take deep breaths, to listen deeply. We made our way up the Poudre Canyon in Northern Colorado – our destination, Gateway Park. Throughout the day a few young college kids wandered by donning swim attire – hiking a couple miles in to swim at a secluded reservoir. Fly rod being the chosen toy for the day, Matthew tied on a Red Copper John fly first and a Bead Head Barr Emerger Blue Wing Olive fly off the end of his line. He was ready for fishin’. We dipped our toes in the cool water. We noticed the light bounce on the moving water. Matthew caught fish and I cheered! We had lunch together – we shared a beer and we had a great day. I love my husband – he’s a good man. We noticed a bench in the park with a sentiment from a life that we never knew. None the less, we liked the message.
“Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” Henry David Thoreau
Who was William E. Graepler? The wonder of the Internet gave me some insight. William (Bill) Eugene Graepler was a husband and best fried, a father, a son, a brother, a grandfather. He was a man of of the outdoors. He was a fisherman. He evidently was teaching his grandson the finer points of fly fishing and the fine art of fly tying.
So why the title, “Zen and the Art of William Graepler, April 15th, 2008.”
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism. “The idea put forth by the Mahayanists was that of the bodhisattva (enlightened being), who practiced and taught for the benefit of everyone” (Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Broadway Books, 1998). William Graepler practiced fishing, fly fishing. A sport, a discipline that takes a great deal of patience, practice, and many trips with out any catchin’. Mr. Graepler reminded us on our fine day to slow down and to spend more time fishing, in spite of the catch at the end of the day. Mr. Graepler reminded me to pay attention and write about what inspires people. My blog post, Zen and the Art of Change Management, received feedback, comments, and tweets from people I have never met. I’m taking note oh great universe. I’m taking note Mr. Graepler. Blessings to you and your family. I commit to visiting your bench and fly fishing with my husband regularly.
