Pride vs Humility Primjer

I Became That Guy

It never occurred to me that I would be that student, therefore, I missed the instructor’s final words. My dive buddy had already connected the tank to his regulator and dive computer and was ready to dive. I had found a way to assemble my gear in such a comprehensive fashion as to render it as effective as a brick. I got it sorted out but was now embarrassed and feeling like the diving dunce of the class.

Descending the three meters to the bottom of the pool, I panicked. While my gear was working fine, I couldn’t take a breath. Not one. Every synapse in my body was bellowing, "You’re underwater! You can’t breathe down here. They’ve conned you. That tank on your back will not keep you alive."

I surfaced with the force of a sea lion being hunted by a killer whale. Without any of the elegance.

The former navy diver languidly surfaced beside me. "So, you are that guy," he muttered.

I had missed the final advice he had shared while I was focused on not being last: "In every class there is one who will freak out when you go under the first time. When that happens, ignore what your body tells you. Breathe in. You’ll be fine." Had I focused on the wisdom of this experienced diving instructor, one who had dived countless times, I wouldn’t have been that guy in my class.

Value the wisdom of the One who has gone before us.

Written by DWAYNE JEFFRIES