Finalist 2: Samantha BuolVote Now

On March 13th, my world came to a screeching halt, as it did for most others in Illinois. The Illinois Governor ordered a stay at home order due to COVID-19, for an undetermined period of time. Suddenly, I lost my nanny job, could no longer workout with my soccer team nor on my own at the health club, and no more school! What just happened? What am I supposed to do now? This is my senior year of high school; the pinnacle of high school! This is my final season of soccer!

I took a self-imposed timeout to ascertain what comes next. I needed something that gave me peace, passion, drive, and a heartwarming feeling. With fishing, I found that. Because I no longer had the outlets to channel my drive and competitive energy, like in sports, I had to find something else. Every time I would catch a fish I would get a sense of victory, like scoring a goal. I would go fishing with my friends and compete to see who could catch the first fish. I also felt such an appreciation for the outdoors at this time as well. No masks, just fresh air. Since I was outside, I could enjoy many other things like being able to safely see my friends, see people smiling during this time of uncertainty, and hear sounds with a clear sky that were usually muffled by day to day life. Fishing helped me open my senses. When I’m with others I can enjoy the outdoors, although when I fish alone, my body relaxes and hones in on nature and my breathing which helps take the place of hot yoga for me. 

Fishing can teach you many lessons--there’s patience, gentleness, and determination. The first time I caught a fish alone, I was freaking out because I had to take the hook off by myself. Taking the hook off required being gentle so I didn't hurt the fish. Having to do this alone also taught me that yes, doing this alone is scary and you might not know how to perfectly execute this, but if you take the time and patience, it’s better to do it in a timely order than impatiently.

Waiting for a fish to take the bait may take hours not to mention a great deal of patience. Patience has always eluded me until now. I have learned it takes a great deal of patience waiting for that one fish to take the bait and finally catching it and getting a picture to flaunt it. I’m used to setting my sights on something whether it be in sports or scholastics and getting it. However, if I don’t get what I’m after, I often become frustrated, angry, and I press myself. Now though, I believe that the Pandemic has actually delivered me a virtue, patience. There are some days where you’re sitting there for hours and don’t get a catch or even a bite. It gets very frustrating. I firmly believe that if you have the attitude of “I’m never going to catch a fish” you simply won’t. Clouding the mind with negative energy can cause you to lose focus. The fish can see and sense, thus detecting threats. Positive attitude and patience go a long way, in every aspect of life. When my streak of catching fish died down, I needed to keep faith in the process so I could eventually see the outcome. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”, so the more times you keep casting and fishing, the greater of a chance you have of achieving your goal. 

Fishing has taught me many things and I have certainly learned a lot, not just about fishing, but about life. If you want to catch something, you have to go get it. You can’t just sit around and wait for your goals to come to you, you need to cast your line out and let your line sit in the water. For me, it takes patience, gentleness, and determination. I’ve found that in fishing and in life if you’re missing one of those 3 key things, you’ll get a knot in your line.