What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You!

"From a retired U. S. Coast Guardsman, thank you.

Gymbeaux"

"Thank you, Andy. This is very timely advice for us since our family will be taking five young grandchildren to Florida soon. They are from Colorado and Michigan--not much experience with riptides here. Even the adults need to be reminded, if they ever knew, what to do in a riptide situation. I'll think we'll have a family discussion based on your blog! Renee"

"ANDY, doesn't a riptide run at 90 degrees out from the beach (vice) "parallel" to the beach? If it ran parallel all you would need to do would be swim back in--not against the current like swimmers do trying to get back to shore (since they are being pulled "out" away from the shore). Just asking. G"

"Hi Andy!

Great tips - having spent a great deal of time at New Smyrna Bch, FL as a kid and then on the beaches from St. George Island to Pensacola on the Gulf, your tips are great.

Love how you transitioned into "seeking wisdom." Beginning immediately I'm trading in time spent looking at "news on the net" for reading and listening to things of more lasting value.

And if something important happens, I'm sure someone will tell me...;)

Jeff Herring
Atlanat"

"Andy,
We were in Destin last week and it was definitely a red flag day the day we went to the beach. Knowing what I know about riptides, we didn't go more than 10 yards into the ocean up to our waist.
I've noticed that even though you tell people about the danger, somehow they always think that it happens to someone else. I've even seen it in Yellowstone National Park. They tell people not to get close to the animals and low and behold there's some yahoo with his camera trying to get a way too close up shot of a bull elk or buffalo. Next thing you know he's run over and stomped.
Since I've been unemployed I've used the very first part of the day to read scripture and meditate on what life has in store for me next.

Have a blessed day,
Dave L."

"Gerald,
Never try to swim against a riptide or try to get back to the beach. Just relax and let it carry you."

"Well said Andy. Sometimes there is so much information out there that it's sometimes not so easy to know who to listen to.

So thanks for the continued inspiration and doing what you do.

Persist without exception.
*Jared"

"Thanks for the great wisdom. :)"

"Absolutely fantastic, Andy.

Somehow, my mother, or somebody, taught me to relax instead of panic when afraid. What a gift that's been. And this wisdom is icing on the cake.

Thanks,
Gail"

"Thanks Andy! As a former paramedic in a coastal community, I am so aware of this phenomenon, and certainly don't want to dimish the real risk that you are referring to!
I must tell you however that the message spoke to me in a very different way.
As I read this post it almost felt like a message in a bottle washing up on the shore intended just for me...I have spent the past 9mos recreating my career. I've moved forward, but not as quickly as I wanted. I was building momentum, but still kept "banging my head" in areas. A friend told me yesterday "you're not there yet. you need to stop doing and listen." This "exercise" was a little maddening I must say. "I don't know how to do nothing" I thought. When I tried to listen all I could hear was my own voice saying "um, I don't hear anything" LOL! As I read your post it clicked! My voice said "you're in a riptide, just relax. it's ok to just tread water right now. You don't have to move forward, it's okay to just go sideways a little bit. Just relax, don't panic, It'll be over soon."
thank you for that:)"

"Andy,
Thank you for your insight. Living in Ohio I don't get to the beach much. However, working in a Domestic shelter, I see and experience the riptides of life. This is great adivise we are experiencing those riptides of life. I hope you don't mind if I share this with our clients.
Thank you so much.
Debbie VanAtta"

"Amazingly, Andy, your instructions for when caught in a riptide are nearly word for word to my mom's when we spent my childhood summers at the Jersey shore. That wisdom has periodically saved my life at beaches from New England to South Florida. The only small exeption I might mention is when the riptide is accompanied by undertow, which does occasionally happen (at least in the Atlantic). The first defense is still, and perhaps more intensely, the admonition to "relax, and either float or tread water", but it does become a bit more urgent to get those feet off the bottom :-)
This leads to my answer to your question: Wisdom is of diminished value when kept to oneself, so I am now purposing to choose to be a 'noticer' of situations where things God has allowed me to learn over the years are appropriate to be shared, and when so I shall pray for the proper way to send (without being intrusive) the gifts given me on a journey to gift others. Thanks, Andy, you bless us by making us think more creatively :-)"

"Someone above implied that Michigan doesn't have riptides. That is untrue. Several people drown every year in Lake Michigan when they are swept out into the lake by riptides. Often the victims are tourists who ignore red flag warnings. Andy is right: what they didn't know hurt them. But I would add that "assuming we know" more than we really do is also deadly. People assume that only oceans have riptides. That can be a deadly assumption."

"I have the advantage, I think, over many of the responders, in that I do not like beaches, so will probably never need this tidbit about riptides. This gives me the opportunity to seize upon your true message in this posting, that there are coastal riptides and there are LIFE riptides. While I will probably not be threatened by the aquatic version, I must deal with the life versions daily, so your message has not been lost. One of the things we frequently forget to do (or don't know how to do) is to think symbolically or metaphorically. We forget to look at our lives from any other perspective than an egocentric view. You have invited us to look at one aspect of our daily challenges in a new perspective. This is truly where your talents lie, and we are all the benefactors of that gift. Thanks, from one who often feels those riptides pulling me out to sea."

"Thanks Andy,
Minor correction, the riptide runs perpendicular to the beach, but I'm sure everyone got the drift of it so to speak. Pat"

"Thanks for a great message, Andy. I spent neary 20 years vacationing in Orange Beach. After about 19, I figured out what a riptide was (thankfully not from experience). Will definitely apply this wisdom to the riptides I face in the Midwest."

"Andy,

Great info. Don't live by a coast, and have visited beaches probably a dozen times in my life.. but I will definitely remember these tips. Amazing to me is how your advice on how to deal with a riptide has some striking similarities to dealing with crisis' in our everyday life."

"Andy,
My wife and I were staying in Perdido last week and when I saw all the flashing lights that evening I knew it had to be bad. When I found out what had happened, my first reaction was sadness but then anger set in since this was such a needless tragedy. The first thing I thought that morning when we walked on the beach was that it was going to be a dangerous day and that I hoped folks would stay away from the sandbar and the trough running down the beach. I wish there was a way to force all the visitors to read about rips and undertow before they were allowed to rent a place.
On a lighter note, all week long I found myself looking for you! Walmart, Guthries (good AU folks!), Publix, Winn Dixie, Jakes--I half expected to round a corner and see you standing there!"

"Great info and great thoughts for all. By the way, was JONES a real
person in your life or a person of
fiction. The Noticer was a great book
and I have shared it with many
friends."

"The question you ended with is an excellent one, thank you. I will spend time in prayer to discern the answer.
By the way, I am constantly encouraged and challenged by the 7 Decisions you gave me through your work. I have shared them with many. God Bless."

"THANKS ANDY,
GREAT INFO FOR THOSE THAT ARE NOT EXPERIENCED IN OUR AREA OF BEAUTIFUL BUT DANGEROUS BEACHES.
IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY PLAY THE GREATEST PART OF SOMEONE LOSING THEIR LIFE.
I'M GLAD I'M YOUR FRIEND. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK."

"Many in our town feel that Wal-Mart is a "rip-tide" experience...once you get in, you can't get out. They become aggravated and angry. Since I KNOW I will not get out in a timely manner, my small portion of the day to allow God to use my rip tide is to look for people who are in need of encouragement...they might be in the aisle but more often in the check-out line. As I engage them in conversation about themselves and their situation, they tend to relax and often laugh. All of us leave happier and more relaxed than we could have been. Thank you for your books. The Noticer is my favorite!!!"

"Good Morning Andy,

Another great message......

Wisdom has definitely been a focus in my life for the last several years and I have to say that this passage from the Bible has fueled that focus;

Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of men's desire; he who watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.
For taking thought of her is the perfection of prudence, and he who for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care;
Because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude.
For the first step toward discipline is a very earnest desire for her; then, care for discipline is love of her; love means the keeping of her laws; To observe her laws is the basis for incorruptibility; and incorruptibility makes one close to God; thus the desire for Wisdom leads up to a kingdom.

I relax when I take in these words - there is such a gentleness in these words but yet they are so strong too!!

Take care - GK"

"Hello Andy,
Sometimes we do get what we need when we need it. Thank you for your words this morning. There are many holes in my "wisdom" this day, but knowing that I "don't know" is a place to begin. Thank you again. I trust that your words do for other people, what they do for me and that they will come back to you full and rich.
Be blessed my friend,
Ellen"

"Hello Andy, I had the pleasure of meeting you at Todd Duncan's Mastery some years ago. Do you remember speaking to that bunch of mortgage folks? I have not laughed that hard in a long time and get to do it again every time I listen to your CD's. It is a vivid and wonderfulmemory I will never forget. What a gift you have been given to teach life lessons in such a manor. The difficulty, whether we are talking about riptides in the water or in our daily lives, is that to relax in a situation like that is counter intuitive. We all want to fight back or strike out at a situation that is either dangerous, strange to us or takes us by surprise. We can often understand a situation intellectually, but to put the "wisdom" we speak of into practice is a very different colored animal. That is why I appreciate your ability to focus on these life lessons in the way that you do because I am able to envision myself dealing with a riptide in my life in a more focused and pragmatic manner. Thanks so much for who you are and what you do! God Bless!"

"Andy,
When you share these stories and experiences, there is always a great lesson in them for me. This discussion reminds me of the difference between "knowing" and "doing". If I "Know" to relax, tread water, breathe deeply, and not panic, and fall short on the "Do" part (personal responsibility - aka -the ability to respond) it could cost me my life in a given situation. If I "know" to watch what I eat, exercise regularly, pray for the needs of others often, and "do" actions such as keeping written proof, or being accountable to a close friend, and being transparent/honest about my goals and objectives, then I gain a life that is challenging and fulfilling
even though there are tough things to go through from time to time. It is tougher not "Doing" in the long run. As I have heard you say, "To Know But Not To Do, Is Not To Know".
I admit, I'm at a bit of an advantage due to diabetes and other health issues which force me to write things down and be accountable to health care providers (and accountable to myself - mostly) by doing daily disciplines (rituals that begin in the morning)which give me the results that allow me to have the best chance of seeing my girls grow up. The word you have encouraged me with in the past is "Persist!" (There is everything about "DO" in this word)
So here it is - Persist Daily! (And Start In The Morning!)
Thanks for being a part of our lives."

"The encouragement to 'seek wisdom' is really timely! I have just begun a daily (and short!) devotional called "Amish Peace; Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World". The focusing on what is good and truly important really does make all the difference in how a day -- or a life -- plays out! God bless you and your family, and thanks for freely sharing the giftings that God has given you."

"Andy - We live close to Myrtle Beach, SC - we've had a number of deaths in the area due to riptides. Appreciate your blog.

Also saw where Norman Borlaug died September 12th at age 95! I immediately thought of you and your new Butterfly Effect book. As always - it is excellent.

God bless - Ed"

"That advice could save some lives. Before we moved to the coast, we vacationed often there. I never worried about riptides, figuring that those who drowned just didn't know how to swim. After awhile it sunk in that almost all who drowned were tourists, not locals. Locals knew how to deal with riptides and rough surf."

"Andy, I really appreciate your comments about wisdom, knowing versus seeking. I have had to focus on "applying wisdom" as well. I notice that the young people around me come to me for advice on life. They find me wise. But when I look at the poor choices I have made in my own life (which the young people don't know about) I appear to have been very foolish, even though I knew wisdom. I think it was Stephen Covey that said, "to know and not to do is really not to know". To apply wisdom I watch less TV, read more quality content, listen to books and podcasts, and spend time each day looking at the path, the direction I am heading, and trying to determine does it go to the destination where I want to end up."

"Metaphorically this holds true. Like Gail said, when scared do not panic!"

"I really liked this Andy! What a great visualization when things are difficult, just relax. And go from there....

Thanks a bunch!"

"Andy, I have seen you twice, when you spoke at business meetings for my company and I have always been inspired. Since the last time, my life has been devastated by my wife's affair and subsequent divorce.

I realized about two months ago, that I was swimming against the events of my life to hard, to fast, trying to overcome all odds. The result of which was that I was exhausted and exhausting all those around me. I discovered that, if I was to survive, I would need to relax in my own life riptide, and swim with the water. I'm praying those waters take me to better shores and looking forward to rebuilding my life there!

My commitment has been to spend my free time rebuilding my community.

Thank you for the wisdom and the encouragement."

"Andy, great information as always my friend - now, how do you get it to the people who need it? Looks like local hotels, rentals, TDC's, and beach rental business' would have this posted. Being a waterdog myself, growing up on the NC coast between Duck and Cape Hatteras, and on the beach anytime I could be. You are spot on with the main point - relax and be calm. But, "rips", rip currents, riptides, what ever the locals call them can move in any direction AWAY from the shore, they can almost parallel it to going directly away from the beach depending on the cause and the bottom in the area of the rip. Rips going straight out from the beach generally flood themselves out relatively soon, within several hundred yards from the beach. But, rips flowing with the beach, seem to be able to go on for a very long time. Most rips aren't very wide, but they are always strong. Dad's wisdom was... always relax first, read the rip (which way is it carrying you and where is the beach) and kick slowly ACROSS the rip till you hit calm water. If you are going away from the beach - kick to either side of the rip and get well clear of the rip before swimming back toward the beach - or else you can get caught up again in the same beach currents feeding the rip. If the rip is carrying you along the beach, relax and slowly kick toward the beach. Eventually you will kick free of the rip and/or end up in the surf. The beaches in NC didn't have lifeguards when I was a kid and the coast there is notorious for rips - we would hit dozens of them in a summer of swimming and surfing - we had to rely on ourselves and each other. Three things were certain; locals along the NC coast knew how to read and navigate a rip; how to float kick out of one; and, if you weren't a very good swimmer you always had a flotation device on and extras handy. I got my "mile" patch every year in the Scouts, even into adult years as a Scout Master - many times in a rip I was thankful for good advice, a swim buddy, and strong legs."

"Get to know my students better so I can teach better!"

"thanks, Andy, you are enriching and saving lives in and out of the water.
Avis"

"I saw the riptides of life in your message and it was most timely.

Am currently in a situation where I have been struggling and trying to make something happen. In stead, I will relax and be in the not knowing (riptide) for a while. It will end and the answers will come..Thank you again for your great wisdom!"

"Andy, I agree with #34 - enriching the lives of others....both in and out of the water! Out of the water...sometimes when we feel like we are drowing we should relax and let the tide take us in another direction.

Hey, "Return to Sawyerton Springs" just arrived in my mailbox. I can't wait to read it our our children and share more life lessons with them via your wonderful tales. Enjoy your day!"

"Andy, thank you my friend. You noticed an important facet of coastal living that isn't common knowledge to even some of the locals and informed the world of it's significance. I have been riding waves worldwide for over forty years and am very familiar and even quite comfortable in currents, rips, washouts, littoral drifts (aka longshore currents) and the many nuances of the breakers. So, for me the practice of relaxing and going with the flow and enduring the power of the ocean is second nature. In the old days there were no leashes on surfboards, so swimming in hazardous conditions was the norm. That said, It took me years to realize that not everyone knows how to deal with the ocean in motion. I have pulled dozens of distressed swimmers from the water and was glad I could help, but sometimes people drown so fast if seems inconceivable. To be aware of the levity of an uncommon situation is taught by experience or by imparting understanding to whomever is partaking.
Years ago I saw two teenage girls lay their towels a hundred yards from the water because their mom told them to stay away from the undertow. There was zilch wave or current action. Not only were they misinformed, they kept calling the "undertoad'. I shook my head and wondered how they ever made it across the street. The proper information and application of such in particular situations can make life safer whether it involves the ocean or mountains or cities or wherever.
You notice, you know this, you shared it....thank you"

"Thanks for a wise post, Andy. One of the previous commentators mentioned the red flags flying at Destin...it amazes me how many people come down to Gulf Coast beaches and seem to have no idea what the flags mean!

That might be worth a brief explanation in another blog.

Bonnie in Atmore"

"Andy - THANKS! I'm an excellent swimmer and didn't know this! I'm sharing this with my friends and family!"

"andy,thanks for the information, i have always thought a riptide would take you out to sea and that scared me.
knowledge is a good thing. i met you at an etho meeting in grapevine some years ago. i have remembered many things you said that day. you say you are not a speaker, but you really are and you really connect with your audiences. i am glad to hear you will be helping AdvoCare, that is my new passion, take care. joe mack gober"

"We spend vacations often at the Perdido Sun and grew up on the East Coast of Florida. Once I knew about rip tides, they no longer scared me. I've swam through hundreds of them while training for triathlons when younger. But for my wife who had never done that, it was a challenge. I had her swim beside me and took her through one. She started to panic but I kept telling her I was not going to let anything happen to her. She didn't have confidence in her own swimming ability but she did in mine and then got through fine.

Did you see that Norman Bourlog died last week?"

"I was caught in a riptide once as a young child. Fortunately, I was with someone who knew NOT to try swimming to shore. At the time I thought they were out of their mind but seeing as I had very few options, I decided to trust the wisdom of the adult I was with. Within minutes we were safe at shore.

It could have been a much worse fate had this individual not picked up that bit of knowledge along the way. Every piece of wisdom counts, no matter how inapplicable it may seem at the moment in your current situation. You never know what may lay ahead in your future!"

"Andy, I am not sure what you are talking about because your description conflicts with what I have learned and what is commonly defined as a rip current.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_current

>> Actually, a riptide is a cross
>> current that runs parallel to
>> the beach for a relatively
>> short distance.
Yes, it may start out parallel, but then it turns and runs perpendicular. See the excellent diagram on the Wikipedia site.

>> For instance, many people think
>> a riptide will “sweep you out to sea”.
Yes, it can and has done it to many people, myself included!

>> When caught in a riptide...
>> RELAX. Don’t panic or try
>> to swim to shore against the
>> current. You can’t.
Yes, the correct advice.

>> ...understanding that if they
>> relax and swim with the current,
>> the riptide will either deposit
>> them on the sand (down the beach
>> a ways) ... or cease to flow
>> entirely, making it easy
>> to swim to shore.
This is confusing and/or incorrect.
A rip current is not going to deposit you on the beach, no way, no how.
When you are caught in a rip current that is taking you away from the beach, relax but also swim slowly parallel to the beach so that you get out of the rip current, then when you are no longer being pulled out to sea you can turn and swim back toward the beach.

Andy, you have great fictional writing skills, but you need to double check your facts."

"Hello Andy,
Thank you for the information on riptides. My family loves to come to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores for any reason. While our older kids know about riptides, it is so good to be reminded to teach the little ones. I have read Return to Sawyerton Springs and am now reading your book "The Noticer". What makes it mean so much is that I knew you as a young man. I knew your father and can see that you more than look like him, you have his wonderful sense of humor. I would love to know where Christy is and how she is doing. She was a good friend to my step daughter, Sherrie Wilson. Please tell her hello for us. God bless you and may all His plans for your life prosper.
Martha Martin"

"Actually there are 5 love languages,
1.Words of Affirmation
2.Quality Time
3.Receiving Gifts
4.Acts of Service
5.Physical Touch.

I thought the animals that describe the different languages was really good,half way finished and I already want to read it again!"

"Thanks for another great blog. Thank you for not leaving me as I am even though you do not know me. It is interesting that you blog about this. I could have used this blog earlier today. Historically, when I stumble upon a crisis, I panic. Fear grips me and I become either paralyzed, or enraged. Neither response is healthy. Seems like I need the lesson of the Riptide. Isn't it similiar how we should respond to crisis as a riptide. Relax, swim with the current, and it will soon be over. God openned my eyes last week and reminded me trials are opportunities to grow. Sounds like the same lesson that you gave in the Traveller's Gift, Andy. I am filling myself with the positive, recently, and I am starting to grow. Thank you, Andy, for not giving up on me. And thank you, God, for keeping my heart open for growth."

"I have not heard of you until I was listening to the local
christian radio station and you were on it. You were talking about your book, and I went to the website and started reading about each book. This sounds very interesting and I have to go out now and purchase these books to read. What I wanted to make an comment on
Choosing to be happy. This is an very hard thing to do.
I am having to force myself to look at difficult circumstances as an opportunity to grow. I thank you for
being committed to writing books that will help
us to look at the glass full instead of half empty.
I will let you know what I think about these books"

"I wish I had known about riptides. I grew up in Northern California, but far inland. I was visiting a friend in Brazil about 15 years ago and I got caught in a riptide in Rio de Janieoro. I am a strong swimmer, but I had not idea what was happening and kept getting pulled farther and farther out to sea. I tried to swim into shore intitially and then when I got tired started treading water when I was getting tired. I was so exhausted, I started thinking maybe this was it. Not long after a surfer came out and pulled me up onto his surfboard and pulled me in to shore. He only spoke Portuguese, but he knew I needed help. Ironically, I had a very vivid dream the night before that I was in a hot air balloon and had crashed into water, and the message was to stay calm. Unfortunately, this did not make sense to me until after it was all over. This was the start of a spiritaul journey for me and trying to listen to my intuition."

"Hey Andy! Great to meet you last weekend. I am looking forward to catching up with you soon.

syd walker
victusaqua@yahoo.com"

"Hi Andy finally read this today. My best time is at night just before bed. I pray. Madison,WI"