The Old Fishermen By the Sea

THE OLD FISHERMEN BY THE SEA They meet there every morning…every day of every year. At the end of the pier they gather…with all their fishing gear. Sometimes they greet each other by first names Sometimes they smile instead…. Sometimes it’s a simple gesture… a wave or a nod of the head. As they bait their hooks and cast their lines they chatter endlessly about their lives, their families and sometimes fishing… these old fishermen by the sea. If you ask them, will they ever miss a day of fishing they quickly say… “We won’t.” And they are happy if they catch a fish but just as happy if they don’t. For though it was fishing that brought them together now, it seems to me, it’s about so much more than fishing for these old fishermen by the sea.