Who would have thought that I would ever be fly fishing in Kenya?
I mean, I don’t even fly fish in other places, so it makes it that much more interesting that I’m here in Kenya fly fishing.
Gotta love how life twists and turns, especially if you can embrace the unexpected, roll with it, and allow new experiences to come into your life and shape you.
A lot of personal growth is found in stepping outside of your normal routine. Opportunity is found when visiting new places, trying new things, or being challenged.
So there opportunity lied, right in front of my face. In the form of a decision. And I certainly wasn’t going to pass by without making the right decision – go fly fishing in Kenya with the locals.
Yup, sounds about right to me!
Get into nature, try something new, see something new, expose myself to something I’ve never really been a part of.
Here are some snapshots to give the story context (more snapshots later on):
As you can see clear as day – the diversity here is unreal. Compared to some of the other pictures I’ve showed you, this might seem like I’m far away from where those other pictures were taken.
But nope, I’m very close by relatively speaking.
It’s just a short distance from Nairobi. The Mathioya River is located about 100 km North West of Nairobi, right at the edge of the Aberdare mountain range.
These pictures were taken just at the border of the Aberdare National Park. It’s simply amazing that such a beautiful place could be so close to a large city.
This entire area is covered with tea plantations. Fishing in the middle of these carefully groomed hills is simply unreal, you think that such a setting could never be found so close to civilization. This is how it should be all over the world.
No matter where we are, we should be able to get deep into nature in such a short amount of time. Sadly, that’s not the reality of the current world we live in, but that’s a deeper (and more depressing) story for another day.
For now we keep it light!
So what was it like fly fish the Mathioya River?
It was humbling, inspiring, rejuvenating, and all around enjoyable.
Humbling – To be with a new local friend and fisherman, leading us into the national park to some of his favorite spots was incredible. Seeing someone with such a different life than mine…a simpler life… is a humbling experience. To share joy in the moment with another human from an entirely different land than the soil I have walked on most of my life. There is a lot of depth and richness in such things. I am humbled and grateful to be a part of them.
Inspiring – This is not an experience I had ever imagined before, so that part alone is inspiring. And within that, there is a world of inspiration. For me, it comes from exploring new lands. Trekking deep into the forest of this national park in Kenya. Hearing new sounds, smelling new smells, seeing new lifeforms. How can one not be inspired?! It is experiences like these that remind me of just how beautiful this planet it. Getting into nature, for me, opens my mind and infuses my being with creative ideas.
Rejuvenating – Going into nature, for me, is also a deeply rejuvenating act. Surrounded by green, by animal sounds, by the aromas of flowers dancing around the forest, by water flowing and breeze blowing. True beauty is found here. There is not much else that is needed. Peace and serenity are what come to mind. I feel like a new person every time I venture into nature to this degree. It’s like I’m shedding all of the unnecessary baggage that comes along with living (and spending most of our time) in the concrete jungles around the world.
I feel like I am in a constant state of gratitude. And that is exactly where I would like to remain. That is where I all believe we should be and should be striving for.
This life, our opportunities, our breath, our senses, are mere existence.
All deserving of gratitude, of conscious and consistent acknowledgement.
Walking through the forests of Nairobi with a local fisherman is the kind of experience that makes these statements ever more apparent.
These kind of experiences also symbolize the important of connection in this life. Connection to ourselves, to others, to the planet, and to ALL the beings within it.
Why live any other way?
