The spot where I nearly drowned on the Buffalo River. I wasn’t wearing a life vest and it nearly cost me.
When you’re first thrown into the water, you feel shock. It might be from the surprise. Or the cold. But whatever the reason, panic and inaction freezes you. It’s very easy at that moment to sink and not recover. But most of the time, your survival instinct kicks in. You begin to thrash around in the water as you struggle to keep your head above it. I can tell you from experience it’s exhausting. You can’t do it for long. If you want to survive, you have to calm down and start swimming. You must have coordinated action (measured strokes with your arms and legs) Proper breathing. A goal. Then you have a fighting chance.
I think of the world since the Great Recession began. So many people have been thrown into the water. They’ve been kicked out of their comfort zones and their jobs. I watched good people give up and slip beneath the surface. But others have learned to swim and have moved on to better lives.
We’re all going to get wet. The question is will we be prepared for when it happens. I know when the fishing boat tipped over on the Buffalo River, I wasn’t wearing a life vest — that lack of planning nearly cost me my life. The same goes for your life. What’s your plan B? Are you wearing your life vest? What are you doing to learn to swim?
Don’t worry about change. Prepare for it.