A Little Help From Our Friends

There was a story in the news not too long ago about a pod of dolphins in Brazil that got thrown off course and started swimming towards the beach.  As they began to get stuck on the sand in shallow water, the people who were on the beach waded in and gave them some help, pulling them back out to the deeper water, one by one, until they were all ok.  It was a wonderful feel good story with a happy ending.  It made me think how we can all use a little help from time to time.

Like the dolphins, it doesn’t take much to throw us off.  At some point or another, we can lose sight of what is really important.  Sometimes it takes a tragedy to make us step back and realize what really matters. Other times our real goals get pushed off course and before we know it, we are so far off that, like the dolphins, we need help to get back on track.

For students, it may be bad choices in behaviors or friends that steer them off course.  It could be a bad grade, a break-up, or a subtle rejection.  For adults it could be a job that is bringing them further from their goals or it could also be choices in people that they surround themselves with that mix them up and move them away from who they really are or who they want to be.

Surrounding ourselves with people who are positive influences in our lives help keep us on course.  When we get mixed up or thrown off, they are there to help us get back on track.  When a big event comes along, whether positive or negative, they are there for us too, offering support, encouragement, and help.  They celebrate with us and also mourn with us.

As I have been readying myself for total knee replacement surgery, I have been blessed with friends, peers, and family who have kept me on track so I didn’t get myself filled with too much anxiety.  For all of them, I am truly grateful.  My next blog may be delayed since I will be ‘out of commission’ for a little while, but something tells me I will have some good material to write about when I return.  Until then, get a little help from your friends when you need it.  That’s what friends are for.

Picture courtesy of clients.ingenious-web.com.