Decisions

My daughter has a problem. She is caught in a financial whirlpool.

She was teaching at a community college, but, like so many state and local government organizations, her school had to cut programs in order to balance their budget. My daughter didn't have tenure, so she was one of those who was thrown out of the boat.

She was raised in Hawaii, and she wants to come home. But, she has established a life and friends on the mainland. Coming home will involve building a new boat. That's never an easy thing to do. She has lived independently for 30 years, and giving up that independence to live with her parents is not the best of situations. On the other hand, it looks like she has a choice of living on the streets or coming home and living with us until she is able to put her financial boat in order.

Her ambition is to make a living helping other people to live a better life. She has developed a great website which provides some ideas about navigating life. She has also developed a really fun way of helping parents become involved in their children's education. Because her business is based on a website, she can continue to build that business regardless of where she lives.

She and I both believe that it's better to be the captain of your own ship then crew on someone else's. Coming home will give her time to build her business and will remove some of the pressure of trying to make a living.

I stood on the bank of the Fraser River and watched the whirlpools of Hell's gate. Those whirlpools would develop into a monstrous swirl, and then lose strength and pop up in a different part of the river. People on the river have a choice between a very difficult land portage and taking their chances on the river. It is possible to avoid the whirlpools, but doing so depends more on luck than skill.

I have been telling my daughter to read her own book. She has been teaching people how to navigate life. Now she has to apply what she's been teaching to her own life. Converting what you teach, or have been taught, into meaningful action is never easy. Sometimes you need a navigator who can guide you through the rapids. Just remember that it's the captain who is responsible for the ship. The navigator can only suggest a course.

Climb to a high point where you can see the river, determine the course you have to take to get through the rapids, then shove off bravely in the rapids. Procrastination will leave you sitting on the bank and getting nowhere. You might even be sitting on quicksand.