An Act of Kindness
He claims to have an "R" tatoo on his chest that stands for "Retired". And henceforth, he's not willing to risk damaging his precious retirement toy of sorts (his Bass Tracker bass boat) while Lake Lanier is down. This is the reason my great buddy Charles happened to meet Nick and why this story unfolds. But let's back up a minute. My buddy Charles is a great guy and just an all around awesome human being. We used to work EMS together in the streets of Atlanta for Grady EMS. I would often see Charles mentoring young people on what it meant to be a productive citizen in the community. He paid special attention to young black males that were already involved with or could potentially be involved with inner city gangs. Charles is an impact person and truly makes an impression on everyone he meets. This is simply the kind of thing that the man does on a regular basis. Like I said, he is awesome! Which is why I wasn't surprised when I heard this story that I'm finally about to tell you.
Charles loves fishing as much as anyone and just because he didn't want to take his boat out was not going to stop him from wetting a line. He drove to a public fishing area near his home to fish from the bank. As he is walking along the shore line heading to his spot, he hears the voice of a young man. "Mister, could you please help me get my lure out of the tree?" Of course, Charles seizes the opportunity and saved the day for a young man named Nick. Charles naturally strikes up a conversation with Nick and quickly recognized the signs and symptoms of someone who has been bitten by the fishing bug. Charles shows young Nick everything he can think of about fishing a worm and a lizard. He talks about one of his favorite techniques of using a Carolina rig and isn't surprised to learn that Nick already knows how to tie a Palomar knot.. Charles shares all of my secrets on fishing a fluke that I shared with him so long ago. Nick was like a sponge soaking it all in as Charles broke out a Panther Martin inline spinnerbait. Nick was excited about the opportunity to use such a special lure and promptly got it stuck in the same tree that mitigated their introduction some time before. Charles retrieved another lure from the clutches of the tree and immediately asked Nick to introduce him to his mother sitting not far away. Charles politely introduced himself and asked permission to escort young Nick to another place where he would be able to cast without catching another tree. Besides, Nick was already at his legal limit on trees for the day! Nicks mom agreed and Charles asked Nick to grab his things and they would head off to catch a lunker. As Nick came back all eager and raring to go, Charles cast his eyes on what he described as a pitiful tackle box. "It was no bigger than a napkin!" Charles exclaimed. Truth be told, it was more than likely just fine for the type of situation but Charles just wasn't going to have it! After they finished fishing for the day and said their goodbyes, Charles went out and bought young Nick a new rod and reel and a proper tackle box made by Plano! He then contacted nicks mom and set up a day to go fishing again. Nick and his mom meet Charles again and he presents Nick with his new rig and tackle box! Just hearing this story made my day and I can only imagine the impact it had on an young man like Nick! I'm sure he'll always remember Charles every time he catches a fish on that rig or goes into that tackle box. In a time where there is so much negativity, selfishness, rudeness and plain old meanness in the world, it sure is refreshing to hear about such an amazing act of kindness. Thank you Charles for reminding us what goodness looks like! And thank you from us at Laughs-n-Lures for helping to get another young person off the X-Box and into a tackle box! Now young Nick, get out there and Set The Hook and Set Things Right!!
