Almost Across...Still At Risk

Never provoke the alligator while you are still crossing the river. Its ability to strike does not diminish merely because you are close to the bank.

The sight of safety can be dangerously reassuring. We relax, grow careless, or pause to celebrate while the last stretch still leaves us exposed. The danger has not passed; our attention has simply moved ahead of our feet.

In life, as in the river, never confuse progress with completion. Keep your composure, resist the urge to taunt, and finish the crossing.

The last step deserves the same vigilance as the first.