Not all that glitters
Is gold.

It is happening more and more in this era.

Wrestlers who take the bait.

One wrestler dangling his leg out in front of him, unprotected to entice his opponent to take it.

As soon as the wrestler takes the bait, he finds himself spladled on his back.

Match over.

****

Imagine a conversation between two fish.

One fish says to another, “Hey, do you see that juicy worm over there?”

The other fish says, “Stay away from that worm;

I heard there is a hook in it.”

“I know there is, everyone knows there is, but I think I can eat around the hook,” the first fish says.

“Too risky, I’ve heard stories of other fish trying to eat that worm, and they always get hooked,” the other fish says.

“I’m going to try it anyway, my friend asked me to go with him later, and it sounds like fun.

He says it is the best-tasting worm he has ever eaten.

What harm could it do to nibble on the part of the worm furthest from the hook?

I’m not stupid enough to bite at the worm nearest the hook,” the first fish says.

The next day the fish came back with a glowing account of his night.

“You see, I told you, I’m okay. You don’t know what you are missing, that was the most delicious worm I ever had.

I had the time of my life last night.

You should come with me. I’m going back again tonight.”

The first fish wisely stands his ground and declines his friends offer.

The two fish drift apart.

Day after day, the other fish goes back to eat more of the worm.

Day after day, the deliciousness of the worm decreases.

Day after day the amount left of the worm decreases.

One day the two fish bump into each other out of the blue.

The one fish barely recognizes the other.

And once again the other fish invites his friend to go with him.

Once again, he declines.

The fish goes back on his own, and when he gets there, there is only a very small piece of worm left.

And it is sitting right on the point of the hook.

Desperate for the taste of the once delicious worm, the fish does the one thing he swore he would never be stupid enough to do,

He ignores the risk and goes after the piece of the worm closest to the hook,

He bites down hard.

And gets hooked.

“Don’t Take the Bait”

Is a chapter from the newly released,