Keep rolling in the slack

My family went lake fishing in Minnesota every year when I was young. We'd fish for walleye and northern pike by trolling, ever so slowly, the edge of the lake.

Dad sat in the back to run the motor; we two youngest kids sat in the middle and stuck our poles out each side of the boat. Mom sat in front trying to dodge everyone's line. Occasionally, one of our lines would find its way to the motor. This time, it was Mom's.

Dad wasn't very happy as he shut the motor off and bent over to untangle the line.

I can still hear the plop, the plop of Dad's wallet falling out of his front shirt pocket and into the lake.

No one spoke. No one dared. Dad sat for a moment, then quietly shook his head as he went on untangling the line. Mom continued to slowly wind up the slack in her fishing line. 

Slowly, up from the murky depths of that Minnesota lake rose Dad's wallet.

It had unfolded on its descent and looped over the drifting line that was held at one end by the stopped motor and at the other end by Mom's pole.

As Mom reeled in the slack, it teetered toward the surface. Ever so slowly, Dad reached down to pluck the soggy wallet.

Life's lesson: More than a story, this has always served as a reminder for me.

When life presents unexpected challenges, just keep winding up the slack, keep moving forward, even if it's at a slower pace and even when the future is uncertain. Remember, you aren't alone in the boat; we all have our line in the water we call life.