Swim In Your Own Tank

Hunter was a good fish.  My son won him playing a game of ring toss at a county fair. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t last more than a week. Let’s face it, those carnival fish are usually doomed from the start!  But wouldn’t you know it?  That darn fish survived!  I bought a small tank for him and within a month he doubled in size and speed.  All was well for over 6 months and then it happened: A kid at my son’s school convinced him that in order for Hunter to be truly happy, he needed another fish friend!  Remember, I said that Hunter was thriving!  Also, my son was very happy with one fish.  He really loved that fish!  Oftentimes, I would catch him talking to the fish.  He even kept his room clean (gasp!) so Hunter would not “have to look at a messy room all day”.  So, I was surprised at how easily he was persuaded.

Weeks went by and my son begged for a new fish almost every day!  Now, I know you parents out there are MUCH better than ME at being parents. The constant fish talk every day would not have affected you at all.  But let me tell you, I was so sick of hearing about the need for another fish that I gave in and bought another fish.  We became a 2 fish family.  The new fish is named “X”.

Over the next month, X and Hunter became fast friends.  It was clear that they cared for one another (if fish can actually do that).  Then suddenly, Hunter changed.  He lost his zip.  He stopped eating and soon he was swimming at the bottom of the tank.  On Saturday, Hunter died.  My son was devastated so we went to the pet store to make sure the same thing wouldn’t happen to X.  We were told that our tank was too small for more than one fish.

That made me think of something (you knew that was coming right?): Sometimes we need to swim in our own tank.  Simply put, sometimes we have to go it alone, especially if we are trying to reach a particular goal.  It doesn’t mean that we can’t be smart and get help from others.  It just means that we have to be careful what we accept and what we believe.  We can’t let others influence our happiness, our direction, or our efforts – especially if they aren’t qualified to give advice!  Other people can’t determine what will work for you and can sometimes get you off track. Unfortunately for my son, he was given bad advice.  Hunter would probably be alive today, if he had continued to swim in his own tank.   In memory of Hunter, I challenge you to swim in your own tank too.  Try living your life without the advice of those who have no expertise in that area or those who don’t have your best interest at heart. Let’s be intentional about the advice we take and who we take it from and see what happens!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, X is doing well.  We will be getting more fish but next time we will get a larger tank :-).