Fishing with Grandpa

Bobby was so excited that he had trouble sleeping. His Grandpa would pick him up early so they could head to the mountains and spend the day fishing. When the alarm clock finally went off, Bobby jumped out of bed and dressed as fast as he could. He wolfed down his cereal and juice before camping out at the front window and waiting for his Grandpa’s truck to appear in the driveway.

 

After an eternity of waiting, Grandpa arrived. He gave his mom a perfunctory hug and was in the truck before Grandpa told his mom goodbye. Finally, time slowed as they made their way to Grandpa's favorite spot on Sandy Creek. They swapped stories and shared rememberings. Listening to stories and talking about the important stuff. This was what being with Grandpa was all about. The time flew by.

 

After arriving at the trailhead, Bobby and his Grandpa loaded up their fishing stuff and set off for the spot. The conversation was a lot quieter now as they approached the creek. But just before they got to the creek bank, Bobby spotted something in the grass by the trail. It was a dead Raccoon.

 

“Hey, Grandpa, is that a raccoon?”

 

"Yep, appears to be. Looks like an old one. He must have died of old age.” replied Grandpa.

 

Bobby suddenly got very quiet as they walked on past.  

 

When they reached the river, Grandpa got their rods and reels out and started setting up their rigs. Bobby was still very quiet and would glance back at the raccoon from time to time and then look back at his Grandpa. The wheels were churning, but he did not say a thing.

 

When Grandpa turned to hand Bobby his rig, he noticed that Bobby’s eyes were on that old raccoon, and he understood the silence. "You okay, Boy?" asked Grandpa. Bobby turned and looked at Grandpa with eyes that held a good measure of worry. "I was just thinking. Everything dies when they get old, right Grandpa?"  Bobby asked.

 

Grandpa replied, "I suppose. It is part of living, just like that old raccoon. He probably had a good life for a raccoon. But his old body just sort of ran out of gas.”

 

Bobby thought about that for a minute and then asked, “But you got plenty of gas, right Grandpa?”

 

Grandpa chuckled quietly to himself and then sat down on the creek bank. Bobby sat down next to him.  

 

“I suppose I got better’n a half tank left, and it ought to hold me for a long while. But, you know, sooner or later, it will run dry."

 

Bobby pulled back a bit, but Grandpa put his arm around him and continued, "All dying means is I won't ever get sick or hurt again. It means I won't be tired, sad, or lonely either. I will be beyond all the bad stuff and live on as long as you and your Mom and Dad remember me and the good times we’ve had.”

 

Bobby interrupted, “But Grandpa, you will die! Doesn’t that scare you?”

 

“Yea, it does, a little. I think about you sitting by a creek and remembering some of the things we discussed. But then I think about how you will grow up remembering the good times. And, then I am not so much scared as I am grateful for you and the days like this.”

 

“But Grandpa, you won’t be there with me!”

 

Grandpa stopped, hugged Bobby, and said, "We are not like that raccoon. We know we are gonna die one day. And that lets us enjoy every single day until it happens. When it does, it will be all over for me, sort of… But you must remember that I will always be just a memory away. And when I am remembered by you and everyone else, I will still be around and maybe still doing you and other folks some good.”

 

Grandpa continued, "Come on, let's stop all this talking and start making some memories. Besides, I don't want hot dogs for supper, I want fresh fish, and they are not gonna jump out of the creek for us."

 

Bobby stood up and grabbed his rod and reel, but he knew he had some thinking to do on all this. He was just happy that he had his Grandpa with him right now. And that was enough, for now. He didn't give that Old Raccoon another thought. He was ready to catch some fish with his Grandpa.