At my main 4.5 acre pond, my buddy and I fished for a few hours off my boat and his kayak. I got a bunch of Yellow Perch on a jointed minnow lure and fatheads, as well as several bluegill, a hybrid/GSF cross, a Black Crappie, and a small LMB on fatheads as well. My buddy caught several smaller LMB on lures with the largest being only 2.1 lbs.
When arriving back at my neighborhood, I saw an unfamiliar truck at the neighborhood pond. I went home, got the Mule out and headed to the neighborhood pond to see what was up. It was a neighbor and his son, whom I didn't know fished or had any interest in fishing. His son is 17 and was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago. His son is in a wheelchair as the chemo has given him some nerve damage to which makes him unable to walk.
This pond was never meant to be a water-holding entity, but I modified the standpipe to make it hold water about 10+ years ago. From there, I stocked, restocked, fed, and managed the pond with great success in quality fish and fishing. About 8-9 years ago, I had all the brick from a failing retaining wall at my house repurposed to make two patios at the neighborhood pond.
My neighbor had his son, in his wheelchair, at the lower patio. The lower patio is not really easily accessible for a wheelchair, and I asked my neighbor how he was able to get the wheelchair down to that patio, and he said he carried his son down to the patio.
His son was catching bluegill constantly. I saw that their fishing rig was rudimentary, but I didn't comment on it, and just told them I was glad to see them there and to let me know if they needed anything, and then I left and went back home.
All the time put into this neighborhood pond over the past many years culminated into something different today, and all the enjoyment that myself and others have gotten out of this pond was eclipsed by whatever benefit or joy this young man may have experienced today.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
