Two Canoes
Some years ago when we lived along the Castor River, we owned two canoes, two very different canoes. I still have my trusty old red Duralex Prospector, veteran of many an encounter with rapids and boulders and shoals, a trusty old beast which, long before I acquired it, had been wrapped around a mighty rock and sprang back to run again. But the crease remains.
The other canoe, the “little one” was a shiny fiberglass wraith modeled locally after a whitewater racer. Shallow of draft, it was almost live, willing to race, but intolerant of error. One false move and you were in the water, but while you controlled it, the thing was a pleasure to run. To be sure, it got me soaked many a time.
Sadly, the little brown racer was loaned out to friends of a friend who brought it back with an irreparable hole and no apologies. It was at a time of my life that I had too many other fish to fry, so said nothing and moved on, but I’d love to have it back again.
Life is full of two-canoe choices and situations, and much of life’s success depends on choosing the right canoe for the right waters. If you’re crossing a large lake on a windy day, for example, you want the long, broad, and deep hull of the Prospector. The shallow and narrow proportions of the little racer will surely lead you to grief. On the other hand, the small and deft hull of the little canoe can be a lot of fun in fast water.
As professionals we struggle to choose the right canoe. Is solo practice right for me now, or am I better as part of a large multinational firm? Should I offer a wider range of services to a broad clientele, or restrict myself to a very narrow segment? Does my law degree mean I have to be a lawyer, or am I better suited to writing or politics or business?
Truth is that the answer often is “either or both”, the best choice being what suits your aptitudes and Giftings. There are times in our lives when we mostly use the tough old Duralex because it’s most practical, but on the side we have the little brown fiberglass to give us another set of options professionally.
What is essential, though, is in being aware of what you have and what your options are. To set out in an angry lake in the shallow racer is not very clever, but on the other hand, if you want to be the first one through the crazy whitewater chute, maybe you want the crazy canoe, assuming you know what you’re doing.
Life is all about options, but the wise know that good choices are made when you understand what you have and what you face.
(One of the things I do is listen to people working through choices and help them make the decisions they already know are the right ones. Feel free to call.)