The countdown begins. In eight days, I make my way back to Montana. Though I’m excited, I’m also a bit anxious about this trip. The last time I was there, late 2020, I spent three months there. This time it’s going to be seven months.
The phone call was unexpected, though the caller id betrayed the reason for the call. After all, the last I had heard from this person was when I was in Montana last.
“Hello!” I answered.
“Hey, buddy, how you been? It’s been a while.” The voice on the other end of the line greeted me with enthusiasm.
“Yes, it has. Too long, if you ask me. How you been, amigo, well I hope?” I cheerfully responded.
“Hey, man, we’d like to invite you back out to Montana.”
As the words flowed from his mouth, the excitement inside of me began to roil. My mind quickly greeted me with images of standing on the banks of the Bitterroot fishing the day away.
“Hell, yeah I’m interested!” I excitedly responded.
“Hey, before you get too excited, there’s something you should know. It’s going to be a long one… seven months!” He replied.
Without allowing myself time to process what he just told me, I responded, “Yeah, man, I’m in. Let’s do it.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries and saying our goodbyes, I sat there in silence for a few seconds processing the phone call. “Seven months is a long time. What did I just commit to?” And just like that, the excitement began to morph into anxiety. “There’s so much to do. Who’s going to run my cars? Who’s going to pick up my mail? Oh, man, my kids. What about them? How am I going to feel being away from them for so long? I’ll figure it out. I always do. It’s never as bad as I make the situation out to be. Actually, that’s not true either. Sometimes it’s worse.”
That phone call took place the middle of April. Today is the first of May and I leave in eight days. Everything is all good and I’m ready to go.
“Oh Dang! what rods am I going to take with me? Maybe I’m better off buying new ones when I’m there? No, wait! I can’t leave the pride and joy of my collection behind. And geez, what about flies and tackle?” Just kidding!
