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Tying the perfect slip knot

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  • Aprill Brandon •
  • Originally published January 23, 2009 at 4:30 p.m., updated January 23, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

"No man can serve two masters ..." - Matthew 6:24

Today, without even thinking about it, I tied a perfect slip knot to the railing and with full confidence dropped my bait bucket in to the waiting waters. I knew that it wouldn't slip off until I untied it when I need it, and then I could untie it while using only one hand.

I am not good at a lot of things, so when I am good at something I like to congratulate myself on that accomplishment. I am good at tying slip knots. I can tie slip knots in the dark of night with only the stars sharing their lights. I can tie slip-knots with frozen fingers, while bouncing over the breakers in the backs of boats, when getting punched by a wave I didn't see coming while wade fishing out a little too deep, while holding a flopping fish with one hand and rod and reel with the other and still some how get a slip-knot tied even if I have to employ my teeth at some stage of the process. I'm really, really good at tying slip-knots.

As I stood out there fishing and admiring my one truly outstanding talent of tying perfect slip-knots, I started wondering how I had perfected that ability. I became a little deflated when I realized that I tie perfect slip-knots simply out of habit. Then I wondered how I had gotten that habit.

Webster's Dictionary defines a habit as a "involuntary pattern of behavior acquired by frequent repetition; an addiction." That thought didn't make me feel very well. In other words, any thing repeated often enough becomes a habit, an addiction. Now I felt really powerless. I was not talented; I was a slip-knot junkie, a slip-knot head, and a powerless product of my early environment and training. I needed a 12-step, slip-knot recovery group.

I was really beating myself up over that whole addictive business until I became a bit more rational and yelled at my psyche, "Whoa, wait a minute!" There are good habits and addictions, too, and slip-knot tying is bound to be one of those.

Sure, I had repeated it until I knew each part by heart and could tie a perfect slip-knot out of pure habit, but that was good, right? Yeah, and I'm going to go on proudly being one of the best "slip-knotters" on the beach.

Dear Lord, now that I have handled defining my one good habit, let me focus on the things I have repeated over and over again that are not good for me or anyone else. I may have to stay out here and fish a long, long time.



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