Frog in the Pool

Sunday morning, we relished the few extra minutes we slept in before our morning walk, and soon to relax with our coffee, sitting alongside the pool. As we walked to our table, I noticed a frog in the pool. Nothing unusual about a frog in the pool, we find them in the skimmer basket all the time. This time, watching the frog struggle, I thought how it reminded me of many people out there who are struggling from decisions they made. I can only imagine how the frog felt as it hopped onto the warm pool deck and followed the coolness of the water as it drifted over the pools edge, as the frog peered down into the clear cool water. It imagined to itself how good it would feel to beat the heat of the Florida summer and leaped into the water. Swimming around the cool water, having the one of the best feelings it had felt in many days. How refreshing it was for the frog to escape the Florida heat. After a while, the frog began to tire from all the swimming and it was time to get out of the water but it had not thought of how it was going to get out of the pool before it leaped in. There are no steps, only ladders to get out of the pool and the toad frog didn’t know how to climb ladders. There are no sloping sides for the frog to grasp hold of and the frog struggled along the smooth sides of the pool. Several times the frog backed away from the side, tried to get a running start, slamming itself to the side of the pool, and failing to achieve its goal of escaping the water. After a while of watching the frog struggle, I decided to help the frog out of the pool with the skimmer net. I scooped the frog from the water and as I adjusted myself to release the frog into the yard, it jumped off the skimmer onto the pool deck and leaped back into the pool. I re-evaluated my plan, I opened the screen door to the pool cage, changed the angle of my approach to the frog, lifted it out of the water once again, and quickly moved the skimmer net, with the frog, to the open door and released it into the yard.

Why tell this story and how does it remind me of people? There are so many people who never plan for their future, they only think of their, “Right Now”, feelings. They never evaluate their total situation and fail to develop an escape or future plan. Many people often trap themselves in jobs or lifestyles they can’t see their way out of. They often fail to accept the help from others and when helped, often leap back into the same situation they had escaped.

The moral of the story; look before you leap, have an escape plan and when in trouble, accept the help from others who appear to have an organized plan.