Josh's Paragraph on Work or Leisure Activity

       Tying flies may seem like an arduous task for many, but for me the evenings when I sit at the fly tying desk are full of nothing but pure contemplative pleasure. It's true that a lot of work and detail must go into the creation of a minuscule trout offering; the time needed to set everything up for a fly tying session can be quite a time-consuming process. But even this preliminary preparation period presents a much anticipated stage that I highly enjoy. The methodical steps needed to organize, prepare, and assemble the materials for each fly tying session provide a challenge that I continually look forward to. Each time I start the process anew, I ask myself how I can more efficiently set up for the night's hour or two of fly tying.  This task requires that I hone my skills by thinking of new ways to more quickly prepare all of the materials. I find great satisfaction in finding ways to eliminate an unnecessary steps, thereby simplifying the preparation process. Once all the materials have been prepared, I happily move on to the next step: tying flies! Not only is there beauty in the art of tying flies, but there is also creativity in the fashioning of both traditional and new patterns.  Looking at the bare hook, imagining the creature that will come to life on the small steel shank, and applying the materials in a methodical fashion necessitates both imagination and ingenuity.  The combination of the two allows the tyer to produce miniature masterpieces of original flies as well as new and innovative patterns that sometimes end up working even better than the originals. Holding a finished fly in the palm in my hand gives me a deep sense of contentedness.   Indeed, tying flies is simply one of life's more meditative pleasures. I would even posit that the process of tying flies is almost as satisfying as catching an actual fish on a fly that I have tied myself!