It’s been a winter for the record books. Historic snowfall, record setting temps and another cold stun event late January and February. I spent a few of those snow days reorganizing gear, catching up on the new series Landman (is Billy Bob made for that role or what?) and dreaming of 95 degree days. I love wintertime fishing, but this has really been a WINTER.
I would like to talk about etiquette a little bit. I recently witnessed an event with a new boat owner at the ramp and he had his entire family with him. We will call him #1. It was a Saturday afternoon in February during the warmer spell we had. You could tell the boat was brand spanking new and he was having trouble backing the trailer, the line was held up a bit and I know we all get a little irritated with that. We are conditioned in these modern times to live fast and for instant gratification. He finally got the trailer in the water after probably 5 minutes but when you are waiting it feels like 10. He goes walking down the dock to attempt to load his new Carolina Skiff and the kids go running up the dock with their mother to climb into the truck just as happy as they could be. Boat rides and fishing trips at 4 or 5 years old are happy times. I’m 47 and they are still happy times. That’s where things went sideways. The other ramp was clear and the gentleman in front of me backed down and got out of his truck. We will call him #2. He immediately started cursing and shouting at the new boat owner for being inconvenienced a few minutes. Throwing his hands in the air, a full-blown adult temper tantrum. Keep in mind the other ramp was empty this entire time and the new boat owner was holding us up with his backing. We couldn’t get past him. I sat in the truck and just watched it go down. We have all been there. #2 got his rig loaded and went on his way. I pulled up to back down and as I was backing into the ramp I noticed #1 had his truck backed into the water almost to his bumper. He was standing waist deep trying to load the boat. I dropped my truck back into drive and parked it back across the road into a parking spot. My boat was tied on the seawall out of the way. I walked down and decided I would see if he needed some help or tips. He was ecstatic that I offered to help. It was their very first boat and the very first trip on it. He said he had no idea how to properly load and unload it and he was embarrassed. I told him not to sweat it. First mistake he made was backing so far down. Long story short we got it loaded and I gave him several tips to help him with his future trips. We loaded and unloaded it again to hopefully make his future trips with the family a little less stressful and a little smoother.
The point of all this is one thing. We should all be a little nicer to other humans. Period. Different political views, recreational versus commercial, dogs vs cats who really cares. Deep down we are all just humans spending what little time we have on this earth just trying to survive and enjoy the time we have. The rest doesn’t matter. Let’s just be nicer to each other and enjoy life. We don’t have to like each other but we can still get along with a smile. Even the guy holding everyone up at the ramp deserves a helping hand if he needs it, and respect.
