The corner of a classroom was my home for much of third grade.
The white, cinder block crook in the wall was far from a punishment however, it was instead a caring effort by a tolerant teacher to keep me from being a continued menace when I had reached her limit. She was in fact, a wise woman. A less savvy teacher might have sent me to the principal’s office, or even issued a detention, but this woman instead found a way to keep the peace while being kind. When required, she just put me in the corner with whatever book I wanted and there I stayed until further notice. My assignments were almost always finished on time, my grades were good enough, but most important to her, the regularly scheduled classroom programing could continue. Being sent to a corner might seem embarrassing to most people, but to me, it was the most fantastic gift I could be given; time to read!
Even if I wasn’t in the corner, I was generally allowed to read through class so long as my work was completed and my grades up. As a result, I plowed through books, often reading the same ones 8 times before sadly relinquishing it back to the school library to grab a new book, often getting up in the middle of class to do so.
No doubt, the teacher and librarian were working together, and for this, I am eternally grateful because they gave me the most wonderful experiences; the freedom to live the life of every imaginable sort character. I can still, 20 years later, remember my favorite passages, stories, and feelings from books of all sorts. I could be a soldier in My Brother Sam is Dead, a struggling airplane crash survivor in “Hatchet,” or a scientist in level 4 biohazard like Dr. Nancy Jaax in Hot Zone. No matter the titles, most of my books had a similar theme; adventure in far off places. 
It was this adventure and promise of the unknown that led to the big, ridiculous grin on my face.
Laugh all you want, that face is a happy face and it’s the only one I’ve got. It is the look of someone accomplishing a life-long goal they didn’t even know existed. Apparently, reading tales of my made-up heroes catching wild trout in remote mountain lakes had left a hidden, but indelible mark on my soul. I have caught literally thousands of fish in my life, from big blue marlin and yellowfin tuna, to tiny bluegill and bass. None of those previous catches had me grinning like those beautiful cutthroats. These trout were different from all the others. The cutthroat expedition brought me back to a place when the most exciting parts of my life were fantasy written in times new roman; my young self standing side by side with some protagonist while he bravely caught fish for dinner deep in the Canadian Wilderness. As I cast my line in the chilly water and watched the flashy lure quickly disappear into the red maw of a wild trout in a remote lake in some forest, my current-day self was finally present with one of his fictional heroes from books in the past. 
Upon reflection, my smile was a realization I had finally found the courage to accomplish and live the life subtly built in my mind from pages on favorite books. The characters I admired were from all walks of life, male and female, and all summoned their best to create or endure what was required of them to accomplish their goals. All it takes to find distant lakes is google earth and a GPS. All it takes to get there is effort. All we need to live this life is courage. Not courage in a macho way, but the courage to find what you want, and then have faith in your ability to endure what needs to be endured to arrive at your goal. 
Don’t worry about the inconvenience or difficulty, worry about your inevitable regret if you’re not living a life you love. My whole year has been dedicated to these endeavors. I no longer worry about inconvenience. Jetlagged, don’t care. Camera gear too heavy, so what. Not enough time, cut some shit out and make time. Don’t see a way to your vision, look from a different angle. The trout probably seems silly to you, that’s ok, more trout for me.
I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to the tiny lake; it wasn’t that kind of place. But I will continue to devote myself to actualizing the fantasies of life. Finding the tiny lakes, spearfishing remote and chilly kelp beds, and photographing sharks. These are the places we are meant to be, not just imagining having magical experiences at some future time, but instead, living life today, never tomorrow, because life is short. Whatever your distant, lofty hopes and dreams are, I hope you experience as much joy finding yours as I am having experiencing mine.
Live your life today, never tomorrow.
Much Love,
Ian
