{"id":1267,"date":"2016-04-22T12:38:27","date_gmt":"2016-04-22T17:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1267"},"modified":"2019-05-17T15:02:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T20:02:31","slug":"catch-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/04\/22\/catch-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Catch & Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"4:21:16<\/a>Catch and Release <\/strong><\/p>\n

by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

My friend Derek is really good at catching fish. He actually enters fishing contests (I didn\u2019t even know there was such a thing) and wins. One time he won a truck\u2014a new truck, mind you. In a fishing contest. Amazing. Now me? Not so much. I can literally count on one hand the number of fish I have caught in my whole life. (And not for lack of trying.)<\/p>\n

Catch and Release<\/h4>\n

So frankly I have never quite understood the reason for catch and release rules – where you actually catch a fish and then throw it back in the water. This makes no sense. If I manage to hook a fish, by goodness I ought to be able to do whatever I want with it. (Not that I really know what to do with one when I catch it!) But apparently there are lots of people (like Derek) out there who actually catch enough fish that someone had to enact this \u201ccatch and release\u201d rule, just to keep the fish population at a healthy level, so all of us other poor shmo\u2019s might have a fighting chance of hooking our third or fourth lifetime fish.<\/p>\n

My personal catch and release rule<\/h4>\n

But I have my own personal \u201ccatch and release\u201d rule, that makes infinitely more sense to me. Here\u2019s my logic: if I catch a fish, and I just leave it lying around – I don\u2019t either cook it and eat it or put it in the freezer – pretty soon the whole house will start to stink. There are very few smells worse than the stench of rotting fish. My catch and release rule is very pragmatic:<\/p>\n

If by some miracle you catch a fish, and aren’t going to do something with it, you better release it, so\u00a0it doesn\u2019t stink up the house.<\/h5>\n

Catching sin, releasing guilt<\/h4>\n

Lots of times, when I \u201ccatch\u201d the truth that I have sinned, I let it hang around, stinking up my life with guilt and shame. Why? Maybe<\/p>\n