“When Is A Day Not A Day?”

March 13, 2016 by riplipboy

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WHEN IS A DAY NOT A DAY?

Originally Published the Week of March 15, 2016 in Western Outdoor News

A French philosopher once penned, “A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.”

And so it was that I was sitting around with one of our captains that work for us in La Paz.

Stubble-faced leather skin. The “Baja squint” from so many years staring into the glare of the Sea of Cortez. Character lines earned from a lifetime on the water make it hard to tell his age. Maybe 65? Could be 10 year younger. I’ve never asked. He’s never told me.

He’s worked for my fleet for 20 of those years. His salt and sweat encrusted Dodgers hat has to be at least that old.

After a sip or two, people often say things prudence might otherwise put the brakes on. And in this case, after a long day of good fishing, a little pyramid of cans was building on the worn plastic Modelo Beer table with the faded logo.

Some small talk. But then…he looked up at me and said thoughtfully, “Do you want to know what I really think of you gringo Americans? “

Oh-oh. Danger. Danger. Little red lights go off in my head.

It wasn’t said belligerently. It was said the way one guy at a bar talks to another guy when he wants to let the other guy in on something…or get something off his chest.

One of those situations we all get into. Even if you said, “No”, they are going to tell you what they think anyway.

Except, I was his employer. And, although I’ve been in Mexico two decades, the gringo label on my head still hasn’t rubbed off.

But, this wasn’t like the guy from the mail room at the Christmas party slobbering over the CEO. I respected this man and considered him a friend.

No matter what you think of yourself, it’s often harder to hear what others think about you. Or people like you. Tread lightly.

OK. Bring it. But, I leaned back a bit defensively. Arms crossed in classic body language.

“I think Americans are good people. Very generous. Mostly very kind and thoughtful.”

My anxiety eased a tad, but I could hear a “but” coming.

He took a sip of beer. Swirled and swallowed choosing his words carefully.

“But (here it comes)…they have too much money (he laughed). And they do not understand what a day is.”

He paused and let that sink in. I looked curiously and cocked an eyebrow. He had my attention now.

“For example, me and a gringo fisherman are the same age. If we both die at the same time, I will have lived twice as long as him!”

Made no sense. I hoped this wasn’t going to be a one-sided rambling of a guy on a buzz.

Be he explained slowly and pointed at me.

“The problem with gringo Americans is that they are always in a rush. Go here. Go there. Running. Even on their vacations, they are always in a hurry. Their day is always too short. Too complicated. They do so many things. They have too many things. But, they never really enjoy what they have. “

“My day is simple. My day is NEVER too short. My day is twice as long as yours! So, I will live twice as long! “ He said with a emphasis and a laugh.

He swallowed a burp. He slapped me on my back; winked at me; and teetered into his house to the call-of-nature. And to think about what he said.

A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.

Left to contemplate, I sat there in that dusty yard under a tree watching him disappear into the house. A bee buzzed the empty beer cans.

With my own beer in hand, I tried to wrap my brain around the logic of a simple Mexican fisherman who plans to live twice as long as me…twice as long as most of us.

Because he lives slower.

It was a hard logic to rebut.

People tell me I’m “living the dream.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m blessed.

But, I’ve often wished my day was 2 or 3 times longer so I could get more done. I live with a cell phone in one pocket. Another phone in my hand. A clipboard in the other. Two laptops on my desk and an internal clock in my head that’s always ticking.

The only reason I happened to be sitting for a few minutes with my captain friend was because I had to pick up some work-related equipment he had fixed for me.

And I think of so many of our friends and clients who come down to La Paz to see us. They eat at our restaurant and all of them are glued to tablets and smart phones as they eat. Every day of their vacation, there’s an agenda item that requires a schedule. They live full exciting lives. They talk business, family and obligations even while fishing.

They video everything, but I often wonder how much do they really watch later. Who has the time?

Every now and then it’s good to be reminded not to forget the here-and-now. THESE are the “good old days” you’ll be talking about tomorrow.

The way that sun rose over the Sea of Cortez…that day the tuna exploded behind the panga…the day your kids swam with the whalesharks…the afternoon the lady at the taco cart became a new friend… the stupid jokes you and your buddies told over the campfire that night…the day in Baja you did absolutely NOTHING and didn’t see another person on the beach all day.

These are the days that should be savored and locked in our brains and hearts and not just in our cell phones or stored “on the cloud.” Take our lives down a notch. Live slower. Live longer via the logic of a simple country fisherman.

My cell phone rang. I let it go to voice mail. I sighed and pulled another beer from the battered ice chest.

They say the secret to success is to hire people smarter than you. I’m gonna sit for a little longer with my captain friend.

That’s my story

Jonathan signature

Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

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5 Responses

on March 14, 2016 at 2:07 pm | Reply Cousin Jack

Smart captain.

There’s an old Thai (i think?) saying: Life goes by very fast. Therefore we must go very slow.

I grew up in the south. My northern friends often complained about how slow everybody down south moved. My grandfather said: What’s the hurry? We’re already where we want to be.

As I spend my days wading the surf of a quiet state preserved stretch of local south Florida beach, chasing the elusive snook, tourists sometimes ask: Do you really ever catch anything here? I’m not sure how to answer as it seems they’ve asked the “completely” wrong question.

Great column Jonathan. Keep up the good work.

Cousin Jack
- on March 14, 2016 at 2:51 pm | Reply riplipboy
  
  Thanks, Jack! Glad you enjoyed it. Of course you catch something! Everytime we go out we catch something. It’s just not always a fish!
  
  Cheers, Brother!
on March 14, 2016 at 5:36 pm | Reply Rebecca Jennings

Jonathan, this article was wonderful, it brought tears to my eyes. I hope more people get it.
- on March 20, 2016 at 6:58 am | Reply riplipboy
  
  Thanks, Rebecca!!! Big hugs, amiga!
- on September 26, 2016 at 3:36 am | Reply riplipboy
  
  Hi Rebecca! I just now saw your comment. Thank you very much. I’m glad it touched you. Hope all is well there in ARK! God bless!