Fishing as a metaphor

I don't know anything about fishing from first hand experience. Anything I know comes from movies. Even people I know who have told me about fishing fail to say it in a way that has compelled me to participate or with enough illustration for me to grasp it. Recently though I saw Salmon Fishing in Yemen and was delighted. I'm adding fishing to my life list as of today.
So here's 1 part movie-review and 1 part metaphor-for-life.

Linda while camping

Ewan McGregor plays a fish expert with a boring marriage who gets suckered into an unlikely project. A rich sheik asks him to have faith and work with him on creating salmon fishing recreation in Yemen, a mostly desert place. Emily Blunt gets to manage the project as a consultant who doesn't know anything about salmon. It's a beautiful and funny tale and I found myself smiling the whole time. I went to see it by myself at Aperture, our local indie theater. I thoroughly enjoyed the shared experience. Here are my take-aways:

1. Salmon swim upstream and its in their nature to do this. So while it's "normal" for them, it's not normal for other fish. They swim against the current when it's time for them to leave their mark and procreate. They are highly adaptable and go in both sea and river water. It seems the life of a salmon is quite the adventure with multiple names throughout their life span. I learned that here. Upon learning that and having the story from Yemen running through my mind, I felt even better about going to the movie alone. I didn't go to movies alone until just a couple years ago after a friend told me how much she enjoyed it. It's super liberating to go alone because it's a cultural expectation that there would be others with you.
2. Ewan's character Fred has a moment where he wants to "go upstream" to change the course of his life. To do the harder thing for the potential added value it could bring. He takes a risk. Salmon do that all the time. Ever seen those pictures of Alaskan bears eating sockeye? Those fish are bold instinctively and are great role models for us. 
3. Like any good story, there is romance in this one. I love how they integrate it into the plot. Without giving anything away, I just want to point out how attractive it is when someone swims upstream, against the norms. We are drawn to people who think independently and are driven by a passion to live for something more. The sheik is such an appealing character for his confident faith - it draws people in.
4. The movie reminded me how sweet it is to have hope in something, faith that something can be realized even when the odds are against it. I have unmet desires and unrealized dreams, as do we all and this movie is a sweet reminder that the faith in those dreams spurs people on to do extraordinary things. In the words of Donald Miller - live a good story!  The hope in this story was in the salmon and the sheik, but we should all pause to think what we put our faith in and examine our actions to see if they line up.

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. - Teddy Roosevelt 

Coffee Lovers? Drink Coffee that does Good :)

I drink coffee every morning. Usually my roommate gets to the kitchen first and brews our coffee. I add creamer in my travel mug and head into my daily commute with a hot cup that helps me ease into my day.
When I buy coffee, I usually go for one that's fairly traded and organic. This is a recent development in the last couple years, as I've grown in my awareness of the kind of consumer I want to be. My roommate usually shops at Whole Foods, so that's the kind of coffee we drink daily.
I ran across this blog post and wanted to pass it on to anyone else whose day isn't complete without some coffee and a cool way to give back without changing much :)
Global Hope Network International - Drink Good Coffee? - this month and next if you buy coffee from Coffee Without Borders, $2 will go back to this great organization to give more access to clean water to people in rural India. I'm going to order mine today and would encourage you to try it out too!
 Order here: http://www.coffeewithoutborders.com/

Nativity

The weekend after Thanksgiving my good friends Marissa and Daniel Joyce had their son, Colton. I got the sweet opportunity to meet Colton when he was only 21 hours old. The beautiful picture of a doting dad and new family unit was awe inspiring. Then the following week, I saw The Nativity Story and was reminded so beautifully of the history of my faith. This Advent season is a time of remembrance and expectant hope for Christians. The month of December is "pregnant" with anticipation and we are hearing songs with lyrics like "let every heart prepare him room." That movie reminded me how very precious my faith is to me. And that I still didn't own a nativity as part of my Christmas decorations. I took care of that though. :)
Throughout the ages many have artistically shared what the miracle of Jesus' birth means to them and I recently was re-introduced to this Christmas poem from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow written in 1867

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Take a second and read this again: the wrong shall fail, the right prevail. What hope is there in Christmas!

Finding Hope

Proverbs 31:8: Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

I ran across this verse this evening as I was further investigating organizations that already exist to fight human trafficking and pursue justice. When I re-read it, I was reminded of these women who have the opportunity to actively pursue justice around the world. Check out what they are up to!

Kate Hughes Around the world in 11 months
Jess Marchand Geneva Switzerland
Kristen Paulick Cambodia
Anna Linhart Uganda

Their stories inspire me. They are a sign of hope much like a flower pushing through the dirt.

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From the broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man
But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean 
-David Crowder Band "Wholly Yours"