Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Saving fish from drowning....

That's the title of Amy Tan's book, which I've yet to read. Someday maybe, when I've the time..
It occurred to me when a friend forwarded me the story of how a catfish half-swallowed a basketball and as a result almost "drowned" as it could not swim into deeper water to breathe as the ball kept it afloat near the surface of the water. The lucky catfish was saved by a man who deflated the basketball with the stab of a knife and removed it from the fish's mouth (well, you could say that he fished it out of the catfish's mouth..ha,ha).

Somehow the story touched me in a way I couldn't quite describe. You see, I had a rough day today trying to save a life. I watched and fretted. What else could I do? What else haven't I thought of? Am I doing too much or not enough? Did I get help in time or is it all just in vain? As I watched the blood draining away, taking the life out of me with it, I worked to replace what was lost. "Fighting a losing battle....; filling a leaking barrel.." Quotes I've heard used is now happening before my very eyes.
Come to think of it now, you know, the man could actually have chosen to take advantage of the situation and catch himself a nice big fish-y dinner. Instead he chose to help the fish and let it swim free. Wow.....choices people make and could make. Just think about it.

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