One of the great benefits of moving away from a large city is discovering the ways people interact with the natural world. I’m used to nice grocery stores, neat packaging, and organized rows of buildings. A lovely cityscape at night with the bright neon colors and lights can be quite breathtaking.
But there’s also something calming and serene in a fishing community. This morning I woke up to these guys fishing right in front of us. They are quick, methodical, and fascinating to watch — it’s a strange ballet to see their coordinated efforts to lay and then collect the nets.
The fishermen keep only the legal size of what they’re fishing and throw everything back into the water, so the pelicans immediately show up to see what’s going on. The men collect the debris caught in their nets and repurpose or dispose of it. My favorite part is watching the birds follow the men long after they have finished and taken off with their catch. Greedy little birds want more.
Haha. Don’t we always want more? What a subtle lesson to pick up from them as they work. Take what you can use. Share what you don’t use. And leave things neater and better than when you got there.