Only Dead Fish Swim with the
Stream
Life is difficult. And the Rule is to thank God* it is so. If it was
all fluffy and easy, we wouldn’t be tested, tried, forged in the
fire of life. We wouldn’t grow or learn or change or have a
chance to rise above ourselves. If life were a series of lovely
days, we’d soon get bored. If there was no rain, then there
wouldn’t be any feeling of great joy when it finally stopped
and we could go to the beach. If it was all easy we couldn’t get
stronger.
So, be thankful it is a struggle some of the time, and recognize
that only dead fish swim with the stream. For the rest of us,
there will be times when it’s an uphill, upstream struggle. We
will have to battle waterfalls, dams, and raging torrents. But
we have no choice. We have to keep swimming or get swept
away. And each flick of our tail, each surge of our fins, makes
us stronger and fitter, leaner and happier.
There is a statistic that suggests that for a lot of men, retire-
ment is a really bad idea. Lots of them die within a relatively
short time of handing in their briefcase.** They have ceased to
swim against the current and get swept away. Keep swimming,
little fish, keep swimming.
Tr y t o s e e e a c h s e t b a c k a s a c h a n c e t o i m p r o v e. Tr i a l s m a k e
you stronger, not weaker. You only get burdened with as much
as you can carry—although I do appreciate that at times it
may seem as if it’s a whole lot more. And, of course, the strug-
gles don’t come to an end, but there are lulls in-between
times—backwaters where we can rest for a while and enjoy
- Or whoever or whatever you choose to so thank. Don’t write in.
** I don’t know if this affects women just as adversely. You may write in.