Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: WORK OUT (05/20/21)
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TITLE: Net Gain | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
05/26/21 -
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ADD TO MY FAVORITES
It’s the nights when there’s nothing to show for your effort; nothing to puff your chest up over; nothing to brag about in the market, in the faith gatherings, in the family circle. The ache in your muscles feels a little more intense. Your step a little heavier. Clean up a little more irritating. Your pillow a little more welcome.
Dad was the one who set hearts in the right direction. He loved fishing and he passed on that passion. The gentle slap of the paddle stroking the surface caressed my own soul. The stillness of the night when flames and voices died down on the shore pulled me back into the security of womb and warmth. The anticipation of what could happen at any moment.
The first time we experienced a workout more than we could almost endure was a time of pure celebration. The truth is we’d been working hard on the night shift and it had been pointless. The disappointed faces on the shore when we came in at sunrise made it easier to push out when we had the chance to stall a little longer.
You’ve probably had those kinds of people in your life. The kind that gets your attention and then spends their time talking to everyone else around you. They’re the kind that chatter on and on and all you want to do is get home and get some rest. You wonder why you even took the time to let them con you into whatever is happening.
That was the first time. We’d been away from this a while.
This second time was different and yet the same. A crew of us on the night shift had shared the strain and pain without any gain.
Stumbling and fumbling with the intricate little bits and pieces after you’ve been away from the regularity of the work shows up in the stress of muscles you forgot you had. Your fingers, once nimble and deft at intricate maneuvers suddenly feel like untrained sausages attached to swollen palms.
It’s easier with callouses. It’s easier with people who know what they’re doing.
I’d probably cast a thousand times in the circle of lamplight off the bow. Okay, maybe a hundred. Still, coming up empty over and over; facing that disappointment again; feeling the outrage, emptiness, helplessness. When people are depending on you, giving up their time for you, waiting for you to show them what you can do. It’s hard to admit the adrenaline isn’t enough.
I sagged into the bottom of the boat like a sail that’s been dropped before a windstorm. That’s when he called from the shore a hundred yards away. “Try the other side.” Have you ever had know-it-alls telling you that what you’ve been doing all your life is something you’re not quite doing right? I was too tired to argue. I did it. And that’s when the real workout began.
I didn’t realize who had called but, as usual, someone else figured it out. We had done this before. After another night of nothing. But he had been with me in the boat then. Now? While the others did their best not to lose anything I went overboard in my efforts to reconnect with the wonder worker on the shore. I raced in, then trudged back to haul in the 300 pounds of fish. I was stoked, like the charcoal fire already charring the fish on the sticks over the flames. I was pumped.
The crazy thing is, I thought hauling the net of 153 fish was the workout. I was soaked from the sea and sweat. The sweet smell of broiled fish is something that has brought gurgles to my gut since I rolled out of my cradle.
I settled in for the reunion celebration and then the real work out began. “Do you love me?” Really? Here? In front of everyone? “Yes, of course.”
“Do you love me?” My heart was beating harder than ever. “Yes, of course.”
“Do you love me?” That’s a workout I never want to have again.
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"fingers, once nimble and deft at intricate maneuvers suddenly feel like untrained sausages attached to swollen palms." Also, "The sweet smell of broiled fish is something that has brought gurgles to my gut since I rolled out of my cradle." Both got real belly laughs. Good writing!
Blessings~