"Grandpa, what is labor day?" The eight year old asked as he was reeling in his bait.
"That's a good question son. It's a holiday that celebrates labor. It's a day off from work."
"What's labor?"
"It's a monster that creeps up on you as you grow older. You haven't seen it yet, but you will some day."
"What kind of monster? Does it kill people? What does it look like?"
"Well...it can become invisible and it is very sneaky. It does kill some people, but it also makes some people rich. It's a strange sort of beast. Without it we would all be naked and starving. If it's kept on a leash it's a good thing. But some people let it off the leash and it eats them up."
"Does it have giant teeth?"
"Nope, it has a whole bunch of tiny little teeth. But they're as sharp as razors. It doesn't take a big bite, it takes a lot of tiny little bites, kind of nibbles at you until you're gone."
"Is it going to get my daddy?"
"Oh no, you're daddy is safe. He keeps the monster on the leash and makes it feed him. You're daddy is way too smart to be fooled by that monster."
"Is it going to get me?"
"Not a chance. Your daddy is already teaching you how to keep it on the leash, you just haven't recognized the lessons yet."
"Like what? What is he teaching me?"
"He's teaching you the important lessons. He's teaching you right now even though he isn't here."
"How's that?"
"He sent you to me to take fishing. That's a big lesson right there. To keep the monster on the leash you have to be able to see him. If you stare at him too long he starts to grow invisible. So you have to not look at him too hard for too long. When you go fishing, you're not looking at the monster, you're looking at nature and beauty. You're looking into yourself and finding the good things about you. Fishing is one of the very best of all ways to keep the monster on the leash and feeding you, instead of letting him eat you up."
"Really? I'm keeping the monster on the leash right now?"
"Yep, that's what you're doing. And if you keep fishing all your life, the monster will stay tied up and can't hurt you. And that's a fact."
"Wow! Your'e pretty smart Grandpa. You've been going fishing every time I've seen you."
"Well son, I like to keep that monster tied up in knots. I've got him so tied up it would take him ten lifetimes to get loose. Now, slow that worm down a little bit, you're going to give him wind burn reeling him in like that."
