Danielle's column: What goes around comes around

We've all heard the old adage "what goes around, comes around." I never really put much thought into it as I figured it was just my parents' way of scaring me out of stealing my brother's toys or pinching him when I was little.

We've all heard the old adage "what goes around, comes around." I never really put much thought into it as I figured it was just my parents' way of scaring me out of stealing my brother's toys or pinching him when I was little. If I pinched him, then the next day I might get my finger pinched in a door as the world's way of punishing me for doing something wrong. Simply put, I thought karma was just a scare tactic in a parent's tool belt.

After my first Montana camping experience this past Saturday, however, I am convinced that what goes around definitely comes around. It was a busy weekend to say the least with Plains Day and Homesteader Days. My friends came to Plains to visit for the weekend and we decided to camp by Rainbow Lake, off of Highway 28, following the Hot Springs rodeo on Saturday night.

The camping trip started out like any normal camping trip should. I even got lucky that they had vault toilets at the campground. I can survive anywhere as long as there is some sort of a bathroom facility.

We started a raging fire that evening, ate some burgers and everyone easily fell asleep in the tent as we were all exhausted from being out in the sun all day.

It wasn't until Sunday morning that I learned the fateful life lesson that what goes around really does come around.

We all started the day fairly early and wanted to get some fishing in before heading back to the Hot Springs rodeo in the early afternoon. We only had two fishing poles to share between four people. I cast for a good 20 minutes before I got bored, decided to take a seat and enjoy the sun and handed the pole off to my friend so she could test her hand at catching some breakfast.

I'm not really sure how it happened.

She cast her fishing pole and the next thing I know my left hand flies to my right arm to slap away what I thought was a bug. Well it was a bug of sorts as I quickly realized a large fishhook was stuck tightly in my arm. The worm was still alive and wiggling, looking like it was growing out of my skin. I have to say I was more disgusted by the thought of worm guts in my arm than I was by the pain.

It took around 10 minutes for someone to finally yank the hook out of my arm, but not to worry, now it merely looks like I went to the doctor and was given a flu shot.

You're probably wondering why I said ‘what goes around comes around.'

It just so happens that when I was 12, I was fishing with my grandparents back in Wisconsin.

They never let me cast because apparently they didn't trust my wild fishing tactics. I, of course, as a strong willed, over-confident 12-year-old did not agree. My grandpa was a softy though and eventually gave in and let me cast a fishing pole for the first time.

What happened? I hooked him in the ear. Straight through the ear. I must say my precision was undeniable as it looked like he simply got his ear pierced with a fake worm as the earring.

It took me a long time to cast a fishing pole after this unfortunate hooking.

Ten years later, I know my grandpa is silently laughing somewhere as I too got hooked.

So you see, what goes around does come around, you just don't know how or when. Or maybe I'm wrong and this is, simply put, irony.

It does not surprise me in the least that my first camping trip in Montana ended in blood shed.

At least my friends and I went to Benji's for omelets after the hooking, which was a lot more tasty than having fish for breakfast.

If you have any camping tips or stories you'd like to share, please e-mail Danielle at reporter@vp-mi.com.