"Nirvana and the Theory of Uneven Flooring": Tales From Normal, Mn.: FICTION

Recently I had the pleasure of taking off a full week to fish near Normal, Mn. This year was special though. I had the responsibility of finding a new fishing spot and making all the arrangements for eight guys for a week of catching the big fish---an area that I have not been before, having mostly specialized in sunnies and small perch.

The rest of the guys were relatives and friends, and indeed most had a long history of upscale fishing....that is fishing where one does not really bait the hook by himself, but the guide does everything...including shore lunch. Needless to say, my accomodations were "primative"---no tv, poor cell phone coverage where calls are mostly dropped or never connected...and just minimum laptop connection. Trust me...there was panic at first.

Most of the guys were going through plenty of change, like being 65 and retiring, and had not needed any additonal trauma---and you guessed it, there was a lot of "sharing" of "concerns" about the "primative" log cabin style accomodations----

Finally, after a long rant on the subject by one of the fisherman, a doctor quietly spoke up...yes....the only doctor in the group, and an eye care professional:

"I have developed a theory over the years that whenever there is uneven flooring, there is "heaven" or "Nirvana"----in fact, in the past whenever the trips have been too perfect, the floors too flat, and the challenges uneventful, there has been nothing but problems. Good uneven flooring has been the thing to look for."

"WOW"----the guys were speechless.

However, after seven days of heaven, they were ready for some frenzied cell phone calls and some internet obsession. Still...the seven days of heaven were nice.

Stay tuned. Another of the signs of bliss, is having two plungers next to the primative toilet. I am still working on that theory.