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Massive Marlin or COVID-19: Five Survival Tricks From Santiago at Sea.
“You’re feeling it now, fish,” he said. “And so, God knows, am I.”
I’m in a hell of a battle myself. Cornered by COVID. No control over the situation. At sea with so much uncertainty. Nauseous from the same ol’, same ol’ daily routine. Dizzy from squinting behind TV talking heads to see what novels they have on their bookshelves. (At least that’s what I do.)
Clearly, I needed new ideas to stay steady, healthy, and productive.
I turned to a classic, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea. It’s a legendary Man vs. Nature conflict. I was curious to see what tricks Santiago could teach me to use in these trying times.
Stuck in salao? I’m hoping faith will pull me through.
You probably know the story… Santiago was an old fisherman stuck in “salao, which is the worst form of unlucky,” — going 84 days without catching a big fish. But he had faith. And a treasure trove of seasoned smarts he sourced during his epic battle. After a massive marlin finally takes his bait, Santiago is powerless to haul in the creature. So he lets the marlin pull him out to sea to wear down his enemy. Santiago’s strategy was to finish off the fish after it weakened. Two days and two nights pass. Santiago holds onto…
