I’ve often fished, the wrong side of the boat
With an empty heart and a tattered old fishing coat
It always seemed right, a sure thing to me
If I just gave it more time, it was surely meant to be
Our ship will come in, our dreams will set sail
Just around the corner from heartache and from fail
Why is the net empty, we’ve worked hard all night?
What have we done wrong, what have we done right?
The difference often is, the side that we are on
Fishing on the wrong side from sunset until dawn
Ignoring the voice that says “Try the other side”
From the glaring truth, I sometimes try and hide
An empty boat is proof enough, the holding tank is dry
Empty nets don’t feed the soul, no matter how we try
Looking at another’s boat only feeds the pain
They are reaping sunshine, while all we know is rain
Until one day we realize, our nets about to break
What we thought was so much lack is more than we can take
Right where we were fishing, was a whole new school of thought
Just on the other side, a boatload has been caught
The other boats around, look on with envy now
What you thought was empty, is filled from stern to bow
So find the spot you wish to fish and keep your dreams afloat
Don’t forget to cast your net…on the right side of the boat
David Kettler
Note:
This was written during a pity party. Those parties are not very much fun, there is always only one guest and the conversation is depressing.
The important part was to realize that while I am bemoaning my current situation with self-inflicted pity, someone is looking at my boat with envy at the boatload of fishes that I don’t even see. Someone once said, “The spout that pours blessing into our lives is only as big as the spout of thanksgiving that pours out of our lives for the things that we already have.”