We Are Swimming

Some people swim with sharks and others find safer places to "swim". Sharks are heartless kinds who don't give a whiff about other folks but see only their own personal goals. They appear to "eat up" anyone who stands in the way of their achieving them. They happen in any competitive field. There is no fixing that sort, and the only way of avoiding being "eaten up" is to swim away as fast as possible. But sometimes in waters without sharks, life feels like swimming in a myriad of  flotsam and jetsam that we can barely hold our heads above.  The saying, and I hope I have it nearly right, "the world is so full of a number of things,  we should all be as happy as kings" has a kink in it. Sometimes the "number of things" is just too numerous and it appears to be drowning one under its weight. Human creatures empathize. It's natural and if we do so too intensely, we are pulled under, also. At that point, it's necessary to hold back somewhat, save ourselves from complete inundation and head for shore. We need strength to give of ourselves, and if we are exhausted, we can't help. There is always  the need to know when to pull back and regain our sense of balance and when to continue on. When a family member or friend, someone who is dearly loved, begins a kind of descent into a personal crisis, it is one of the times when we feel we are needed. The call isn't always actual. Sometimes there is no call, but only a sense that someone must help and it may be us. It's a bit like watching a person floundering in the water and needing a life jacket to be tossed when there isn't one available.  I am sure most of us have experienced this kind of thing. We don't know what to do initially. The first response for most of us is shock. When that calms, the next step is to do something about it.  Jumping right in without thinking is the worst solution. Emergency workers, even though they are trained to know what to do,  assess a situation first. That can work for anyone. It doesn't have to take a long time to think about what happened and what needs doing, but it does require a level head. From that point on, it is time to decide what's best to do, who should do it and what end result is likely to occur or not and if not, the next step. All this has to happen quickly and sanely.  If you are the one who is to do the helping, you have to know if you are able to do it.  Should there be someone else with more knowledge or access to assist or take over?  The situation, be it immediate or one that has a broader time frame, needs thought before action.  Disease, acute illness, accident, mental health, abuse crises, relationship matters or criminal incidents all call for the intense consideration of those wanting to help. Sometimes it's best to stand back and realize that someone else can do the job better. If you are needed you'll be called on. These are deep waters and full of the most intense kind of human to human involvement. The backwash is also part of any life preserving and saving action and often it is worse than the original need. Life is a swim and the waters change as we go. But, when we are needed, we are much stronger swimmers than we know.