One Child’s Advice: You need insurance.

On one of the last trips of the summer season our family fun at the river is interrupted by the floating of a middle aged man into our territory. His slouched body is laying on top of a light blue, doughnut shaped pool float. His lips are attached to the mouth piece of the float. It appears that he is trying to infllate the float while he is still using it.

I am not sure how long he has been taking such deep breaths. But, what happens next has me wondering if he hasn’t left himself a bit lacking in oxygen.

When our mystery guest reaches the shallow water along side the river bank he holds tight to his float as he navigates the slippery slope upward to a twelve foot bluff.

Finally arriving at the top, our gentlemen friend walks to the edge of the enormous rock and pears down at the deep swimming hole below.

He then grabs this float, now half deflated, with both hands and places it under his bum. His hair lifts from his head as he jumps with all his might. He descends fairly quickly and lands flat on his buttocks on top of a rock just below the rivers surface. The float promptly explodes. Apparently all his might wasn’t enough.

He gives a holler that could win him a prize for highest soprano note expels by a man. Before he can lick his wounds he is swept away by the currant. He never lets go of his float and can be heard like an injured goose honking every time his sore tail hits the rocks of the shallow rapids.

Near the end of the rapids a seven year old boy has been watching this whole affair with a look on his face that says, “I saw that coming a mile away”.

As the middle age man floats past him in agony the young boy can be heard singing this tune,”Nationwide is on your side”.

Appropriate I think. Don’t you?

The gentleman was a very good sport and burst into laughter at hearing the boys interesting summation of an event, I am sure, this man won’t soon forget.

Do you empathize with the man or the boy in this story?