It is a gloomy, rainy day in Madeira island and I’m standing by the sea promenade looking at two fishermen. One is struggling with his fishing rod. They look wet like they have been standing there for some time.

Suddenly, one of the fishermen decides to try his luck on the other side. He struggles to keep his balance as there is also a very strong wind blowing from the Atlantic.

I’m in awe of their determination. Why would you want to get soaked and cold for hours, patiently waiting for a catch that may never happen?

I think of those fishermen who don’t have that choice. The ones that risk their lives, often in challenging conditions like today. The ones that have to do it to feed their families. How many women in fishing villages have stood on shores praying for the sea to spare their husbands one more time?

Sometimes the sea doesn’t listen and selfishly keeps them. All that is left are the monuments to their courage that are often found overlooking the sea that stole their lives.

Fishing does teach us patience and resilience but aren’t we in truth always trying to catch fish?

In childhood we are constantly fishing for our parent’s attention and reassurance that we are loved and safe. Puberty brings a whole new challenging fishing technique. We fish for our peers attention and praise and seek more independence because we are convinced that now we know how to catch fish on our own. In adulthood, we fish for the perfect job, the perfect relationship and the perfect lifestyle that we are certain will make us happy.

But as  time goes by and you get older, you realise that sometimes you have to change your whole approach to catching fish. Maybe we need new fishing gear, a change of fishing spots or just to realise that actually that big fish we were dreaming of, is just never going to bite the hook.

And that is ok, there are after all plenty of fish in the sea. And even if there aren’t and you have to surmount a few more difficult obstacles, in the end the reward is much more than catching fish.

What is more important is the journey to get there and all the memorable paths we take. Not all is good but those special moments when you feel the warmth of the sun in your face. When you smell the iodine in the sea or the first blooms in Spring. When you feel the sand under your feet or the grass that grounds you to this earth. Or when you hear the birds’ symphony all around you and experience the excitement of the first drops of rain.

All this makes you feel alive and grateful to still be here in the present and to be able to see beauty even in darkness. That is everything!