A friend told me a great story about a long-distance swimmer. In
one of his swims, this athlete ran into a school of jellyfish. He'd bat
them away, then another would smack him in the face. It slowed him
down, and for a while he considered stopping the swim. But other than a
few small stings, the jellyfish were just a distraction. He switched
his attention back to his swim and finished it.
