old & scarred fly box.

I cleaned out my fly box the other day. When I took out all the flies, I saw the scarring that was left from the various flies. I stared at this empty box for a while, just looking at the stained foam. It was nice to look at, because I felt that I put the fly box to good use, that it reminded me of the times & people I fished with, and in some way – it made me feel like I was finally moving on from the label of being a newbie at this sport. I’m sure that over time, I will have lots of tackle that gets used, worn out, and have proud scars to show the years… and perhaps when I have so many of these old tackle, it will not feel so special anymore. But for this moment, I was happy to see a old empty box.