Commonalities.

I like to gamble. I like to fish. I like to thrift.

I think all three of these past times have a commonality.

Each takes me out of my head, which is a fairly busy place.

Each has an unpredictable outcome. When I gamble, fish or thift, I never know what I'm going to get. Is it going to be a jackpot, a big fat trout or a priceless artifact?

Or is it going to be a bust - a day when more money goes out than comes back; an afternoon when multiple lines were cast with no yield; a shop filled to the rafters with dross?

That's the chance you take.

What is life but a game of chance?

That's where the fun is. That element of chance, when you might come out ahead, is what keeps me coming back.

I don't have the capital to do much gambling. I don't have the capacity either to kill or catch and release to fish, unless I'm with someone with a strong constitution. I like to do the thrifty thrift, alone or with someone of like mind, almost always.

I walk away from my obligations, my life, my world, for a brief time.

All three pursuits have their advantages and their deficits. Of the three, I've found a common link and a singular fascination - I'd pick thrifting. There's more potential for a positive outcome, based purely on my knowledge base. That's the tipping point.

Add to that the potential for financial ruin when gambling is top choice, and the fact that weather, combined with the fickle nature of fish, makes fishing more of an occasional choice than something you do every day, and treasure hunting is the obvious front-runner.

Regardless, I find all three activities fascinating, primarily because each takes me away.

I love my life, but who doesn't like to get away?