Reading Rough Water

I can’t believe my eyes as my daughter’s head disappears under the raging water. Neither her father nor her husband could grab her fast enough. She slips through the fingers of those who love her to the moon and back.

Don’t depend on others to save your business. You must have the life line and enact all the behaviors you’ve practiced. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll know who to reach out to and what plan to enact.

I fall to my knees in the middle of the boat. “Where is she?” Everyone holds their breath. Seconds tick by fast. Panic crawls under my skin. Our guide stands up, the toss line looped around her fingers as I pray.

An eternity passes before Michelle’s head bobs above the surface. In a flash, the toss bag flies through the air, dropping into her extended hands and she’s pulled back to our boat. I ask, “What took so long?” as I wrap a towel around her, not daring to let go.

She chuckles, “I was under the boat. The colors of the water was so pretty! But I knew I had to kick and fight my way out.” She glances back at our guide. “I remembered what to do in an emergency.”

I panicked. She did not. Most important, she didn’t give up. “I’m sorry, Mom. I lost your water shoes.” The force of the boxing current pulled them right off her feet.

Losing some merchandise or not being able to collect on a job shouldn’t be a hemorrhage of your life blood. Recovery isn’t always possible, and you need to chalk it up to loss as long as your core operation has other resources to surpass the setback.

When we reached the take-out point at the end of the day, I placed one arm around my daughter’s shoulder. “You’re grounded. I’m never taking you rafting again.”

It’s okay to drop programs and find others. How about rock climbing?