If only I knew then…

Every now and again you come across a photo that takes you back in time. When I came across on old photo of Henning’s fishing station in Atlantic Beach, NY, it took me all the way back to nine or 10 years of age.

My father used to rent a small boat at Henning’s, buy bait, usually live killies, and the two of us would spend an afternoon fishing in Reynolds Channel.

I hated baiting my hook with a live fish. Worse yet, there were days when we’d catch a blow fish or two and a clump of seaweed and I’d be bored as hell. An occasional eel would add some excitement.

Some days it seemed the sun beat down relentlessly on the two of us in that small boat, and I found myself wishing I was somewhere else. At the time I didn’t appreciate what really mattered … that my dad was spending time with me, and that spending time with someone is a way of saying, ‘I love you.’

If only I knew then what I know now.

Published by Christopher Florentz

Welcome to Small Epiphanies from a Life in Progress! Our journeys take us in different directions and to all manner of destination. T.S. Eliot went to the heart of the matter when he wrote: “We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began, and to know the place for the first time.” My early exploring included time spent in a seminary school in Long Island, N.Y., where I learned about the nature of compassion and the inter-connectedness of the human family. In college I studied political science and English and, after working in communications for several years, completed graduate work in mass communication and media. A career in communications as a children’s book author, in government and education, the newspaper industry, commercial nuclear and pharmaceutical industries, a public relations agency and as a college instructor of writing and communication theory, has furthered my exploration. Now, having at last freed myself from the tiresome bonds of the workaday world, I am a freelance writer with published work in NJ.com, The New York Times, Art Times and Newsday, among other publications. For me, the journey inward is the most important voyage one can take, and the spiritual leg of my journey has included time spent in Zen Buddhist monasteries in New York and New Jersey. All of which brings me to this point in time, nearing the place where I began and where I will hopefully recognize the place for the first time. Chris Florentz

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2 thoughts on “If only I knew then…”

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  2. I feel the same way. Let me ask you, across from Henning’s on the opposite side of the channel, I used to fish off the jetty(s) there with my friends back in the early 70s. There was a small bait station, Johnny’s. I feel like I might be the only person left alive who remembers it. Might you have any information on it? Thank you.

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