People find it difficult to resist your persuasive manner.
I thought it was kind of cool and put it in my pocket. Later that night I was at the gym swimming laps. There was an older man about 64 years old sitting in a chair in his bathing suit relaxing and watching the swimmers.
"Hey, how come you aren't in the water?" I asked jokingly.
"I can't swim," the man replied. I honestly thought everybody knew how to swim. If not, then everybody should learn!
"How come you can't swim? Didn't you learn as a kid?"
"When I was a little boy I almost drowned," he looked up and made coughing noises. "Every since then I've been terrified of the water."
That fortune cookie popped into my head.
"Get in the water," I said. "I will teach you right now."
The man looked a little surprised.
"Come on, get in. You need to know how to swim." To my surprise, he jumped in the water!
First he practiced kicking and learned how to keep his body afloat. Then we moved in to the actual freestyle technique. Finally, we learned breathing. After 30 minutes, the man swam a full lap by himself. He was so happy to have overcome a 6-year old fear.
My toast for the day: Here's to facing your fears and fortune cookies!
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