I've Never Met an Idiot on the River Read online

  The Dinner Party 9.0 received strong reviews in Washington, D.C. The New York City producers liked it, too. They invited us to bring it to Broadway, for real. We opened on the nineteenth of October, 2000, and we had a very nice run of 364 performances—a year’s worth, almost. For nine months, the play was sold out, and we performed for people from all over the country, some of whom had never seen a Broadway play.

  Returning to Broadway with a successful show allowed me to realize another major dream, one that I had nurtured since childhood: When I was in high school, we would walk through Central Park at lunchtime, thinking we were really cool ninth graders, and ride the carousel while eating tuna sandwiches. During the spring, I was always late for my afterlunch class because I would stop and watch the Broadway softball league play in the park. Every Broadway show had a team, which included the stars and the crew. I’d long dreamed of one day being a player on a Broadway league team. That dream came true in May 2001, when The Dinner Party softball team was formed. For one of the first times in my life, I was a high draft pick. I pitched. My buddy John Ritter was on first. What a team!

  I’d made my triumphant return to Broadway and to the Central Park softball diamond. My tenacity and determination paid off. Hey, it took some time, and a couple of tries, but I did it.

  And that, finally, brings me back to fly-fishing.

  If you have the dream to fly-fish, do it. If you just want to travel to Montana and walk around in wonder at the beauty of the great American West, do it. If you dream of writing a book, taking photographs, skydiving, or touring Italy, make it happen!

  Don’t give up on your dreams; you can and must make them your reality. We all have insecurities and fears. We all have some disabilities, just as we all have some abilities. You should never allow anything or anybody to define you or keep you from living the best life you can.

  Easier said than done, I know. Believe me, I know. I was terrified of performing in The Dinner Party, but that fear of doing it was far worse than actually taking the stage. In fact, once I stepped in front of that audience, I had the time of my life. The same holds true for fly-fishing. At first I was scared of failing. Casting seemed to require too much coordination, but I worked and worked at it and eventually I was not so bad anymore. In fact, I was pretty darn good. And I loved it!

  Now you know why my fishing vacations are so important to me. This wonderful sport serves as a metaphor for my life. I can fish for an entire day without catching a single trout, and it just doesn’t matter . . . much. I can fall down and soak myself in a river and say “So what?” I don’t care, I’m just chilly.

  Failure may happen to me, but it does not live in me. I taught myself to read, even though I had dyslexia. And I became the coauthor with Lin Oliver of seventeen children’s books, which have sold in the millions around the world, and made millions of kids laugh. Imagine that!

  This dumb dog has acted, directed, produced, written, and flyfished! And he can even be taught new tricks! Over the last two years, Rowan, my patient guide from Firehole Ranch, has taken me to a higher level of fly-fishing skill than I ever dreamed of mastering. I dry cast 90 percent of the time. No fish is safe now.

  That’s a very good thing for a fly fisherman, but it’s an even better thing for Henry Winkler. It’s an accomplishment that I can talk about to others who need a Mr. Rock in their lives. I can use each and every one of my accomplishments as a building block that might help boost their self-confidence and self-esteem. I can tell them my story—in my speeches, in my Hank Zipzer books, and in our conversations.

  Hopefully, I’m not just talking to them. I’m showing them. I’m giving them a little inspiration—the same helpful stuff that worked for me in my life—to put in their pockets and carry around with them. I take photographs of my fish and my adventures as proof that anything is possible. I keep pushing and moving forward, and if others can see me up ahead, perhaps they will be able to see how rewarding it is, and they will follow at their own pace. They can accompany me on my journey, and I can walk with them on theirs.

  I’ll be headed back to the river soon. I plan on catching more beautiful trout. If you see me out there, feel free to wish me “tight lines.” I wish the same to you. I also wish you the joy that comes from meeting even the smallest challenge head on and realizing it CAN be conquered. And I wish you the serenity that Mother Nature has been so generous in providing me.

  I can’t wait to see you on the river. Just remember to keep moving along. I’m a good person. I’m just bad at sharing my trout stream.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  While sitting at the luncheon table at our oldest son’s wedding to his wife, Amanda, I showed a few photographs I had taken over the years while in Montana to Cristina and Tony Thomopolous.

  They introduced the idea of a book and then introduced me to Jan

  Miller.

  This book exists because Jan Miller said yes.

  We never met.

  We never telephoned.

  We never e-mailed before this book idea became an idea.

  Not only did she say yes, she also found Insight Editions.

  And Raoul Goff, Jake Gerli, Jason Babler, Justin Allen, and all the other tasteful folks up there in San Rafael who came into my life.

  Along with the pictures, the publisher actually wanted words, too. If you don’t know Wes Smith, I suggest you seek him out and try to be his friend. He is an astounding wordsmith who helped me put my river journey into a coherent order.

  A gigantic thank-you has to go to Margaret Schrader for all her enthusiastic help in coordinating and calling and retyping and proofreading and all-around support.

  Ricardo Perez and Leticia Perez have to be included for keeping us well nourished in body and soul all during the writing process.

  My wife, Stacey, and children, Jed, Zoe, and Max, and my daughter-in-law, Amanda, and my son-in-law, Rob, need to be included on this page because of their enormous patience while looking at every picture I’ve ever taken over and over and over again, always with a smile that never seemed forced. And believe me, I scrutinized.

  We cannot forget our first granddaughter, Indya Belle. Yes, she is only sixteen months old, but her cooing and oohing was an absolute factor in our picture selection.

  And last but not least, all the guides, all over the world, who kept me untangled.

  I acknowledge you all.

  I thank you all.

  And I am grateful that you are in my life.

  Copyright © Henry Winkler, 2011

  Images from The Dinner Party on pages 133 and 137 courtesy of Photofest.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

  eISBN : 978-1-608-87050-9

  Insight Editions, in association with Roots of Peace, will plant two trees for each tree used in the manufacturing of this book. Roots of Peace is an internationally renowned humanitarian organization dedicated to eradicating land mines worldwide and converting war-torn lands into productive farms and wildlife habitats. Together, we will plant two million fruit and nut trees in Afghanistan and provide farmers there with the skills and support necessary for sustainable land use.

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