Hi, my name is Chris and I have "Outdoor Envy."  That's right.  I can admit it.  I'm man enough.  I miss the outdoors.  Sure sometimes life keeps you inside but you work through it.  And that's why I'm here today.  I'm working through it.

Well, last night I finally spent some time "outdoors."  On the surface that might not seem like such a big deal but for me, as of late, it really is a landmark.  It seems that the ironic part of working for a hunting and fishing website is that you spend a lot of time indoors.  In fact I've spent less time outdoors this summer than any in the last 10 years.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.  I love my job and the website but it dawned on me Saturday afternoon as I looked at my pale white face in the mirror and thought "shouldn't I have a tan or at least a sunburn by now??"

Granted this has been a strange summer, as far as Texas summers go.  It's been raining for nearly 2 months. (Which royally screwed up the annual tubing trips with my friends.)  And now that the rain has stopped and the sun has returned I find that its powerful glare can make my skin boil and burst into flame.  Have I become a vampire?

ANYWAY, the point of my journal entry is that I really really needed some outside time, so with little time to spare I threw my rod and reel into the truck and drove down to McKinney Falls State Park on Sunday evening for a little fly fishing.  (100 degress at 7:30 pm be damned.)

The park was pretty empty, which was nice, so I had a chance to hike around and just enjoy the sights and sounds surrounding me.  After taking a wrong turn (or two) through the woods I finally emerged at the bottom of the falls, tied on a fly and cast into the shallows.  It wasn't long before I had my first bite...a perch the size of a golfball.  (Hey at least I continued my fishing streak of always reeling something in!) 

After catching several more "giants" like my first, the sun began to drop behind the falls and darkness set in.  I sat down on the rocky shore, packed away my gear and waited there in the silence.  Listening.  Breathing.  This was what it's all about.  It only took a few minutes in the park to beat my case of "Outdoor Envy."

And as I worked my way back up through the woods, led through the darkness by only the gentle, bouncing glow of the lightning bugs I thought to myself....man am I out shape.

Guess I'll just have to spend a little more time outdoors.

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