After the imagined/possible shark sighting, do we go back in the ocean?
Of course we do. The odds of being attacked by a shark are approx. one in three million.
The likelihood of dying from a bee sting or a lightening strike are far greater.
I got those loose statistics off the internet and we do trust the internet right?
When Tony reads the last line of the previous day's post, "Lake house?" he tells me about a lightening strike in Lake Murray, South Carolina (where we've rented lake houses), that killed eighteen people.
That is an overly-tragic report, so I check it out in disbelief. A simple search reveals that only eighteen people were injured and 2/3 were hospitalized but expected to fully recover. His point was that accidents happen everywhere and I take from his point: KEEP LIVING.
After a morning swim, after two hours attending an online class, I am itching to get in the ocean. It's approximately 7:00 p.m. when I ask if anyone wants to join me. The kids are always game.
"What about not swimming at dusk?" The children ask.
"It's not dusk. It's just early evening. The sun has hours to go."
"Okay."
Ten minutes later, the last child meanders down to the shore. Parents follow. Me and the kids swim. And swim and swim.
The sun is still hanging above the horizon. It's an hour before official dusk, but I get kind of spooked. I remember: Avoid being in the water during low light hours (dawn or dusk) and at night when many sharks are most active and feeding.
The evidence is clear. "Okay guys, it's dusk, everyone out of the water," I call to and gather all the children. I expect some pushback, but no, everyone immediately turns and shuffles out of the water.
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