FAMILY PLANNING

  I’m not writing about couples deciding when or if there’s a good time to have kids. I’ll leave the timing, good or bad, planned or surprises to those with more wisdom than I and people still of child bearing age.

   I’m talking about planning a family fishing trip. The conundrum is family fishing trips are a great way to spend family “together” time, but planning the time when work, responsibilities, youth activities and all the other “demands” of life allows for a mutually agreeable date to simply go fishing is difficult. I’ve been told dozens of times, “I wanted to plan a fishing trip with you but we just couldn’t come up with a date that suited everyone, between work, school, Little League....”

   I frequently get a call or message from a potential customer asking about a fishing trip with me. The person sounds excited and optimistic with what they learn, but when they say, “Great, I’ll get with the others and see what day will work for us,” I know it’s probably a no-sale. Trying to get three or four peoples' schedule to coincide perfectly is unlikely to happen in this age.

  My advice to them (and to you readers wanting to plan a fishing trip or other family outing) is to pick a date, make the date and then put on “the big-boy pants” and just tell the others, “This is the day we are going fishing.” (Or hiking or to the zoo, or....).

  Realize, few family things short of weddings and funerals are so unchangeable, the scheduling is indelible. If scheduling were easy, we could all spend New Year’s Day planning every activity for the following year. In truth, plans are being juggled all the time and if you plan “unalterably” the day you and others are going fishing, almost miraculously, other plans (short of weddings and funerals) can be rescheduled.

  No more excuses! Put on your big-boy pants and give me a call. Let’s go fishing.