Feeding sharks is risky business.

Nobody has ever told me that before. I've had to learn the lesson by experiencing the reality that this is an imperfect world in which sharks sometimes survive by biting off the hands that feed them.

I'm far from being an expert. I don't claim to be an expert in shark-feeding; and that is precisely why I've risked losing my hands to sharks more than once throughout my lifetime. In fact, I'm rather foolish, because I tend to risk the same thing over and over again; trying to be kind, foolishly kind.

When feeding, I suppose it's most important to first identify the animal you're feeding, and then to understand the best way to feed it. To satisfy its hunger... but without having to risk losing your hand. To not assume that just because you've fed a shark before, you can pat it on its head.

The foolish, like me, learn it the hard way. But such hard knocks are important, I suppose, for those who desire to live in integrity to the way of the shark-feeder who lost more than just his hand, but his entire life, to the sharks he fed.

That foolish man.