The Thanksgiving Holiday is an important time for the competitive bass fishing world industry to regroup and reset for next year.
It’s a meaningful period when we can all relax for a little while before the Christmas break. Obviously, everyone is working on prepping new boats, getting them wrapped, creating our new jersey designs and nailing down sponsorships and commitments for next year. With the 2017 season schedule starting before the Bassmaster Classic next year, everyone is on the fast track to get prepared.
But all of that gets put on hold for a while as we rally around our families and focus on the real foundation of our lives.
In my case, it’s a valuable time for me to soak up time with my great family, one that has supported me while I’ve enjoy a career that I truly love. As much as I appreciate my job, I hate not spending more time with loved ones. The Thanksgiving Holiday gives me a chance to reflect on all the things I’m thankful for and to spend precious time with friends and loved ones without distractions.
I will also be thinking about our military families and the sacrifices they make for us to enjoy this holiday season. We have several friends connected with the military, including fellow angler Davy Hite and his wife Natalie, whom we consider dear friends. Their son Parker is being deployed to Afghanistan and because of him and thousands of others we can enjoy the freedoms bestowed upon us as Americans.
This is also a time for Sherry and I to spend time with our sons Jackson and Nicholas who are home from college. It’s been challenging for us with them being away at their first year of college so having them home with us makes for an even more meaningful holiday.
The boys and I will spend a lot of time watching football, especially the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry game on Saturday. We also will spend some time deer hunting.
In fact, Nicholas shot the biggest buck of his life last Saturday and Jackson and I are hoping to do the same before the gun season ends and they have to return to college.
Regardless of whether we do, it will just be nice to spend quality time together and focus on family without work or college distractions.
Here’s hoping that you and your families also get quality time together and that you take time to reflect on the many things that are important in life.
And remember, it’s all about the attitude!
Kevin VanDam’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.