The Fish We Caught

Sometimes you go fishing for a fish and come home with something much better.   

My dad has recently become interested in fishing again.

It started when Hailey and her girlfriend, Sam, took him out to Stevens Creek Reservoir to do some fishing. He had such a good time that he pulled out all of his old fishing gear and decided he was going to keep it ready so he could go fishing whenever he got the chance.

He even got a full year fishing license.

So the other day, Dad and I went fishing together at Boca Reservoir.

And we caught the most beautiful, perfect-looking rainbow trout ever.

Well…

Kind of.

Dad and I decided to play a little prank on the family.

We took a picture and Photoshopped a rainbow trout into it. It looked surprisingly good, but we figured everyone would immediately know it was a joke.

So we sent it out.

And then something wonderful happened.

One by one, every single person in the family believed us.

The more messages that came in, the harder Dad and I laughed.

You know that kind of laughing where you get the giggles and then, hours later, you suddenly start laughing again for absolutely no reason?

That was our fishing trip.

We were laughing all day.

At first, we were delighted.

Then we started getting a little nervous that maybe the family was going to be mad at us.

But we got over that pretty quickly.

Then Hailey said, “Show us the fish.”

Uh-oh.

We were going to get caught.

So I made another picture.

This time, I asked AI for a little help.

The result was actually pretty great.

Except for one tiny problem.

Dad was squatting down next to the fish.

That should have been the giveaway.

Dad does not squat down like that anymore.

But we decided to take the risk and send it anyway.

Surely this time they would figure it out.

They didn’t.

They believed us again.

At that point, Dad and I were practically beside ourselves.

Eventually, we finally came clean and told everyone the truth. (click the video below)

There had been no giant rainbow trout.

But I think we did catch something.

We caught a once-in-a-lifetime fish made out of giggles, laughter, creativity, prankster behavior, and a whole lot of shenanigans.

And honestly, I think that might be the better kind of fish.

Sam has a saying about fishing: “That’s why they call it fishing, not catching.”

I think she’s right.

Fishing isn’t always about bringing home a fish.

Sometimes it’s about sitting beside someone you love.

Sometimes it’s about remembering something you loved when you were younger and finding your way back to it.

Sometimes it’s about getting your old fishing gear out, getting your license, and realizing there are still plenty of adventures waiting for you.

And sometimes, apparently, it’s about Photoshopping a giant fish into a picture and seeing how long you can fool your entire family.

Dad and I caught a lot that day.

We caught a beautiful afternoon together.

We caught a ridiculous amount of laughter.

We caught a story we’ll probably tell for years.

And somehow, we also caught the perfect fish.

It just happened to be made of laughter.

I’m thankful for that.

And I’m thankful that our family is still talking to us.

Until the next opportunity for shenanigans, be well! 🙂

Namaste — Karen