A couple of years ago, my dear mother returned to college after about a 25+ year hiatus. As the mother of 7 and a seasoned homemaker, stepping back into the student role was to say the least, uncomfortable for her. I want to relate a brief conversation that she had when she ran into a former professor. It went something like this:

“How are things going for you?” asked her professor.
“Oh, I’m actually struggling quite a bit. Just keeping my head above water,” my mom replied.
“Don’t!” he said suddenly.
“Don’t?” my mom repeated confused.
Without hesitation, Professor Hawkins said, “Grow gills!”

I’m not exactly sure what followed after that, but both my mom and I found this idea of growing gills inspiring. So often we’re swimming through life and feeling as though we’re barely staying afloat, or worse, nearly drowning. If that’s the case, adapt. Have the faith and the fortitude to examine your life and make some needed changes. I’m not suggesting that life is always easy. Sometimes it may be all we can do to just hold our breath and wait for the storm to pass. But, in many instances, I believe a little personal tweaking here and there can greatly reduce the level of anxiety and stress in our lives so that rather than barely staying afloat, we get our metaphorical oxygen from the water and are literally sustained by our ability to constantly adapt.

Growing gills will mean something different for each us. Maybe you need to work less and spend more time with your family to improve withering relationships; eat a healthier diet and exercise regularly so you have more energy to fulfill your responsibilities; forgive someone who’s offended you or make that phone call you’ve been meaning to for years; seek to be more positive and to suffocate old pessimistic views; align your life with principles of honesty and hard work and not expect others to pick up your slack.

Certainly, adapting isn’t painless, but you will quickly begin to see the fruits of your efforts as you attempt to grow gills. Good luck my fish friends.