Originally Published the Week of Oct. 20, 2020 in Western Outdoor Publications
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It’s been a helluva year, hasn’t it?
Definitely one for the books and a year none of us will ever forget. It’s been unlike any year in history if you think about it. Surely, in our lifetimes.
…and it’s not over yet.
…and it’s not going to change automatically just because the calendar flips to 2021 in two months. Or because the crazy election is over in November.
We simply don’t know. Maybe it will get worse. Quien sabe? Who knows?
I was thinking about that the other day. It could get worse? Really?
For ourselves, how many more punches to the nose can we take and still remain standing?
And while I was sitting there sinking into “bluesville” and edging into feeling sorry for myself…
My wife, Jilly nudged me as she often does and interrupted my thoughts. She’s always looking at her cellphone.
“Hey, look at this photo of the grandkids! Pretty cute aren’t they?”
A cellphone with two grinning little ones was shoved into my face.
…and I laughed.
Yea. They are pretty cute at that.
“Remember that last time when we had them over for that barbecue? We had the huge blow-up pool from Walmart all set up and we all jumped in and splashed around with them?”
Actually, I do. And it was a lot of fun. Silly fun with silly grandkids and sillier adults.
And it made me smile.
Maybe it was more than just serendipitous co-incidence that she had nudged me.
Divine intervention?
A poke from the galactic powers of the universe to sit up and take notice and stop whining?
There really were a lot of reasons to smile.
In the middle of all the insanity, there were and are many blessings.
In fact, at the time this happened, my toes were buried in warm sand.
On a beach. At the ocean… in the sunshine… under a palapa with a plate of shrimp and a cold beer.
How terrible is that?
Only reason for that was business was slow. Like all businesses. Bummer. Had a few hours to kill.
We live about 30 yards from the water’s edge. Gosh…we run a fishing operation in Baja where I daily have to push boats into the water by hand up to my waist in the waves.
Our restaurant is on the waterfront steps from the bay.
And I realized this was the first time in more than five years that I had actually taken time with my wife to sit on the beach.
Because business was slow.
But, here I was. Able to sit and enjoy and put my toes in the sand and jump into the water…not for work. Just for the heck of it.
We had snuck away from work for just a few precious hours.
And then all the other stolen moments…that we never get to do normally.
Dinner out with clients.
Taking time to smoke a cigar and have a beer with friends.
Time with the kids and watching the grandkids grow up.
Watch a movie on TV from beginning-to-end without having to watch it in 30-minute increments over a week.
All the home dinners where Jill and I got to play in the kitchen and actually have real conversations.
Occasional naps.
I actually finished a book or two.
I had time to do some gardening and construction projects
Take a walk.
All the little unusual blessings in the maelstrom of a turbulent year.
I NEVER do these things. I never have time to do these things running our businesses.
Forced “time out.”
And, all those other things?
Ultimately, they were just “inconveniences.” Most things we don’t like in life are just that…inconveniences.
There aren’t that many things in life that are “critical” if you have your health and family.
This just happened to be a year of more than incredible “inconveniences.”
We all had our health.
Wearing masks…inconvenience.
Social distancing…(sigh)…inconvenience.
No restaurants…movies…parks…sports…inconvenience.
No more than 2 persons in a car…inconvenience.
Re-runs on Netflix and Roku…inconvenience.
Getting completely sanitized before they let you into any building…inconvenience.
Standing in line at 4 a.m. for groceries and toilet paper…BIG STUPID INCONVENIENCE.
Waiting 40-deep at markets for beer here in Baja when they shut down the breweries (non-essential business)…MAYBE THE BIGGEST STUPIDEST INCONVENIENCE OF ALL!
But we endured. And we endure s’more.
Many many many folks here in Baja and everywhere in the world have it so much worse than us. It’s beyond critical. It’s tragic.
There’s a zillion conflicts and turmoils swirling everywhere.
But right now. Right then… Next to my wife on a sunny beach in Mexico is a blessing.
Will have to clean up and get back to work in an hour or so.
But, I gotta remember to savor these little moments. Little co-incidences. Little blessings. Little miracles.
Please pass me another beer.
And thank you, Lord. Thank you galactic powers of the universe.
For small blessings and little miracles. And co-incidences.
And the occasional poke in the side.
That’s my story…
Jonathan
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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.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: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
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Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website:
www.tailhunter-international.com
Mexico Office: Tailhunter International, 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter International, 8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
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Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Video Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLvdHL_p4-OAu3HfiVzW0g
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
That's My Story 
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