One day my friend Doug Schockey was swimming in the ocean when he was caught in an undertow.
No matter how hard he swam, the water dragged him farther out to sea. Panicking, he swam harder, exhausting himself with fear and exertion, when suddenly two swimmers appeared, one on either side of him, two men.
“Don’t try to swim toward shore,” one said. “Follow the beach, let the waves carry you. Don’t tire yourself out trying the direct route.”
Following their directions, Doug swam parallel to shore, and soon the pull of the undertow stopped. He turned and swam to land.
And the two men? When he looked no one was there: empty beach, the endless ocean. His saviors gone.
I think often of that advice: “Let the waves carry you. Don’t tire yourself out struggling to reach the goal by the straightest line. Follow the line of least resistance.”
And I think of the two men who appeared like angels, gave him directions and disappeared.
