Don't Go Through Life Being a Lima Bean

I have an irrational fear of sharks. As in, I won't go in the ocean unless I'm in a vessel that says something like "Carnival" down the side. I just think being eaten alive and/or being sucked down under water would be the worst way to go.

Years ago, I was watching a documentary on great whites and somehow, some fool discovered that if you touch the nose of a shark, it's eyes roll back in it's head and it falls backward catatonic like in a haze for a short period of time--presumbly so you can maybe get away. (or long enough for it to get really good and mad at you when it recovers.) While they were demonstrating this, a few people got their hands cut on the razor sharp teeth of the sharks trying to demonstrate this technique and I watched all this with morbid fascination. Cuts = blood = sharks = eyes and teeth = scary.

As I was discussing this with a friend the other day and I looked on You Tube for the documentary and in doing so came across a National Geographic special. In short, it said that sharks don't like to eat humans...to them, we're like lima beans. Only to be eaten when there is absolutely nothing else. They much prefer seals who are like hot fudge brownie sundaes. Wh0 wants a lima bean when you can have a sundae. Agree! As a lima bean has to be the most un-endearing bean, if not food, there is. Nat Geo gets props for the most excellent analogy.

I have known people that I'd classify as lima beans in life. In other words, I only deal with them when I absolutely have to and suffer through it thinking, why must I endure this person?

The moral of this story is then, don't go through life being a lima bean. How's that for a catch phrase?