How Dating Is Like Fishing
By Samantha Karlin. Posted on .
"The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope."~John Buchan
“Trish- do you still have that guy’s number from the party Saturday?” I asked. “He mentioned he could connect me with his roommate about business related stuff.”
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“Umm, I don’t think I have it anymore,” she said. “Besides, I’m pretty sure he was a catch and release.”
“A what?” I responded.
“A catch and release,” she responded. “That’s what my mom calls my dating strategy.
Well, whoever said that mothers are always right hit the nail on the head with this one. Through her witty terminology, Trish’s mom had captured dating in your twenties at its finest. But what I really loved about it was it alluded to what so many people miss when it comes to dating- how fun it is.
It really is just like fishing. People don’t fish for the end goal- to catch something, kill it, and eat it (ok, exempting the tribal warriors of yesteryear). Although catching a fish is most certainly exciting, most of the time it gets thrown back into the water anyways.
And so goes dating. It’s super exciting to catch someone, but there’s usually a time to let them go too. And if you keep on fishing, another one will come along. Hopefully you’ll learn more from the experience of being with a person though, than a fish. But I see far too many women- and men- wrap themselves around one person to the point that their entire life depends on what that person says or does- and whether that person likes them. And a lot of the time, it isn’t the person that is right for them anyway. The right fish is out there- but how can you ever find it if your hook is stuck on the wrong one? Or worse, if you've given up and stopped fishing entirely? Enjoy the here and now, the chance to be with all sorts of different people, to have new and fresh experiences, to make incredible memories (and build up lots of funny stories), and to learn about yourself.
As Robert Altman once said, “I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there. "
In dating, translate anxiety to anticipation- and something lost, to something found.
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Now get out of here and go fishing ☺
(Many thanks to Trish (and her mom, Barbara) for inspiring this blog.) ☺
